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AMERICAN HISTORY
Does America Need A “Frederick Douglass”?
Biden is not enough even though Trump equals political death and chaos
Dangers to America
During Frederick Douglass’ speaking tour of late 1866 and early 1867, he warned the nation that it had to move forward from the past or the republic was doomed. Douglass and many others called for the insurrectionists (the Confederates) to be punished for what they did; the whole world was watching the United States. Douglass’ address that he delivered all across the country is called “The Danger to the Republic.”
The speech was a reaction not just to the post-war period; it was also a reaction to the death of Lincoln and the presidency of Andrew Johnson, who was a white supremacist and completely incapable of leading the country into the future. Douglass disturbed by Johnson’s leadership and dismissal of the country’s lingering challenges, took to the lecture circuit and laid Johnson out like a giant fish at a market on ice. This was leadership in the face of racist tyranny and cowardice.
The speech itself is about what Douglass deems “dangers to our republic.” He said that these dangers are “esoteric” and “exoteric.” In other words, some of the dangers are understood by a few people but other…
