Series Two: Autobiographical Writings
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
THE FREDERICK DOUGLASS PAPERS Series Two: Autobiographical Writings VOLUME 3: LIFE AND TIMES OF FREDERICK DOUGLASS THE FREDERICK DOUGLASS PAPERS Series Two: Autobiographical Writings Volume 3: Life and Times of Frederick Douglass Book 1: The Text and Editorial Apparatus John R. McKivigan, Editor Joseph R. McElrath, Jr., Textual Editor Jesse S. Crisler, Textual Editor Robin L. Condon, Managing Editor L. Diane Barnes, Associate Editor James A. Hanna, Whitney R. Smith, Assistant Editors Mark G. Emerson, Peter P. Hinks, Heather L. Kaufman, Jeremiah Nyhuis, Editorial Assistants Hannah Cox, Geoffrey Gagen, Christine McNulty, Scott Philotoff, Jarret Ruminski, Research Assistants Yale University Press New Haven and London Frontispiece, 1881 edition. Frederick Douglass Papers Editorial Office, Indianapolis EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD Mary F. Berry Richard J.M. Blackett Carl Degler Robert L. Hall COPYRIGHT PAGE GOES HERE Darlene C. Hine Howard Lamar Howard Temperley George B. Tindall Contents Acknowledgments ix Abbreviations xi Introduction to Volume Three xiii Life and Times of Frederick Douglass 1 First Part 23 Second Part 153 Third Part 375 Appendix 459 Editorial Apparatus Textual Afterword 485 Textual Notes 509 List of Emendations 513 Line-End Hyphenation 531 Historical Collation 537 Descriptive Bibliography 541 The Park Publishing Company Illustrations 561 Index 583 Historical Annotations 629 Introductions to the English Edition 1041 Reader Responses, 1881–93 1045 vii Acknowledgments The publication of Frederick Douglass’s third autobiography, Life and Times of Frederick Douglass, marks the completion of the Douglass Papers’ sec- ond series of volumes, Autobiographical Writings. Editor John R. McKivi- gan played the primary role in this text’s inception, researching and planning for years before work on the volume began in earnest. As with earlier vol- umes, McKivigan benefited greatly from the project founder John Blassin- game’s vision for the autobiographical writings series and from the preliminary work accomplished by Blassingame and his staff at Yale Uni- versity. Important early work on the volume also was performed by Doug- lass Papers staff at West Virginia University, Victoria Gruber, and Gerald Fulkerson. The project would like to thank the National Endowment of the Humanities and especially the National Historical Publications and Records Commission for their continuing support of our work. The bulk of the Life and Times work was undertaken at Indiana Univer- sity–Purdue University at Indianapolis, where the project relocated its operations in summer 1998. The Douglass Papers is grateful for the institu- tional support from the School of Liberal Arts and the Department of His- tory. A special debt is owed to the following individuals at Indiana University–Purdue University at Indianapolis for their assistance to the project: William A. Blomquist, David A. Ford, Philip Goff, Mary Gelzleich- ter, Joy Kramer, Edith Millikan, Sharon Peterman, Gail Plater, Herman Saatkamp, Philip Scarpino, William Schneider, and Robert W. White. Gratitude is also due to a number of specific individuals and organiza- tions. Timothy Connelly from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission and the staff of the National Endowment for the Humanities supplied valuable advice to the Douglass Papers over many years. The National Historical Publications and Records Commission deserves additional thanks for its assignment to this project of Sean P. Adams as a Documentary Editing Fellow. During the development of this volume, we were fortunate to benefit from productive conversations with visiting researchers: Nicholas Buccola of Linfield College shared his insights on Douglass from the perspective of political science; University of California-Berkeley’s Samuel Otter provided us with new ideas while work- ing on his own book; Ann Coughlan, visiting from University College, ix x ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Cork, Ireland, provided us with unique interpretations of Douglass’s time in the British Isles. Exchanges with Robert Levine of University of Maryland and David Blight of Yale University have stimulated our thought and work. Abbreviations Indiana University undergraduate Aaron Fogle spent the summer of 2009 conducting research and writing annotations for the present volume. We ACAB Appleton’s Cyclopaedia of American Biography thank him for his meticulous attention to detail and his accuracy. Lou Ann AHR American Historical Review Crisler provided essential contributions to the final tandem collations of the ANB American National Biography text. Jessica Peters of Florida State University provided a similar contribu- ASB Anti-Slavery Bugle tion, and, in addition, lent the present volume her technical expertise in the BDUSC Biographical Directory of the United States Congress form of the digital reproductions of the original illustrations that appeared CH Church History in Life and Times. ChR Christian Recorder The Douglass Papers is fortunate to share space and resources with an CtHnf Nook Farm Research Library extraordinarily generous and accomplished community of scholars and CtY Yale University CWH Civil War History staff. This critical edition is one of four residing at the Institute for American DAB Dictionary of American Biography Thought of Indiana University’s School of Liberal Arts. Our colleagues DANB Dictionary of American Negro Biography from the Peirce Edition Project, the Santayana Edition, and the Ray Brad- DHU-MS Moorland-Spingarn Library, Howard University bury Edition have contributed in many ways to this volume, recounting their DLC Library of Congress own comparable experiences, suggesting innovations, and sharing their DM Douglass’ Monthly wisdom with great good spirit and humor. For their help and exemplary col- DNB The Dictionary of National Biography legiality, we wish to thank David Pfeifer, Nathan Houser, André De Tienne, EAAH Encyclopedia of African American History, 1619–1895 Cornelis de Waal, Diana Reynolds, Joseph Kaposta, Ali Zimmerman, Mari- FD Frederick Douglass anne Wokeck, Kristine Frost, Martin Coleman, Johanna Resler, David FDP Frederick Douglass’ Paper Spiech, Bryan Roesler, Martha Rujuwa, and Kara Peterson. Professor Jona- JAH Journal of American History JISHS Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society than R. Eller, Senior Textual Editor for the Institute, provided help with such JNH Journal of Negro History consistency that one sentence cannot discharge the project’s debt to him; his JSH Journal of Southern History patience and encyclopedic knowledge have proven invaluable. Lib. Liberator The Douglass Papers wishes to thank the members of the faculty Mil- LNArc Amistad Research Center, Louisiana State University lenium Black Studies Seminar (2009–2010) at the Indiana University MB Boston Public Library School of Liberal Arts for providing input on an early draft of the volume MdAA Hall of Records Commission, Annapolis, Md. introduction: the project is grateful for insightful comments from Johnny MdHi Maryland Historical Society Goldfinger, Susan Hyatt, Ronda C. Henry, Missy Kubitschek, Thomas F. MdHM Maryland Historical Magazine Marvin, Modupe Labode, and Nancy Robertson. MdTCH Talbot County, Maryland, Courthouse The editors at Yale University Press have shepherded Douglass Papers MeB Bowdoin College Library MHiS Massachusetts Historical Society volumes through the production process with great care and skill. Special MPlyS Sturgis Library, Barnstable, Massachusetts thanks are due to Vadim Staklo, our series editor, and to Margaret Otzel, MVHR Mississippi Valley Historical Review senior production editor, for their guidance. NAR North American Review NASS National Anti-Slavery Standard NAW Notable American Women NCAB National Cyclopaedia of American Biography xi NEQ New England Quarterly NHB Negro History Bulletin NHi New-York Historical Society Introduction to Volume Three NjP Princeton University NNE New National Era Robin L. Condon and Peter P. Hinks NRU University of Rochester By the time Frederick Douglass penned the first two parts of Life and NS North Star Times that constituted its 1881 first edition, he had already published two NSyU Syracuse University OR The War of Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the successful autobiographies, served as editor of four newspapers, published Union and Confederate Armies thousands of editorials and articles in his own papers as well as in others, and PaF Pennsylvania Freeman advised several United States presidents—most notably Abraham Lincoln. PHi Historical Society of Pennsylvania Douglass entered civic life three years after his 1838 escape from slavery RH Rochester History when he spoke before a predominantly white abolitionist audience in Nantucket, Massachusetts. This extemporaneous speech of 12 August 1841 led to Douglass’s seven years as a paid itinerant lecturer for the Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society, and later the American Anti-Slavery Society. His final autobiography integrates Douglass’s life as a slave with his later public career. Born into slavery at Tuckahoe on the Eastern Shore of Maryland in February 1818, Douglass dedicated over two-thirds of his long life to human rights activism. On the morning of 20 February 1895 at the age of seventy- seven, he attended a meeting of the Women’s National Council in Washington, D.C. He returned to his home in Anacostia for a brief respite before a speech he was scheduled to deliver that evening at the Hillsdale African Church. As he waited for the carriage that was to convey