英语故事FrederickDouglass.docx

1、英语故事FrederickDouglass英语故事Frederick Douglass弗雷德里克道格拉斯(1817 1895)十九世纪美国废奴运动领袖，是一名杰出的演说家、作家、人道主义者和政治活动家。在废 奴运动中他是一个巨人般的人物。Frederick DouglassFrederick Douglass (born Frederick Augustus WashingtonBailey, circa 1818 - February 20, 1895) an Americanabolitionist, women s suffragist, editor, orator, author,

2、statesman, minister and reformer. Escaping from slavery, he made strong contributions to the abolitionist movement, and achieved a public career that led to his being called “thesage of Anacostia ” and “the lion of Anacostia ”. Douglassis one of the most prominent figures in African American andUnit

3、ed States history.He was a firm believer in the equality of all people, whether black, female, Native American, or recent immigrant. He was fond of saying, “I would unite with anybody to do right and with nobody to do wrong. ”Life as a slaveFrederick Douglass began his ownstory thus: “I was born in

4、Tuckahoe, near Hillsborough, and about twelve miles from Easton, in Talbot County, Maryland. ” Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey, who later became known as Frederick Douglass, was born a slave in Talbot county, Maryland, between Hillsboro and Cordova, in a shack east of tappers corner and west of

5、 Tuckahoe creek. He was separated from his mother, Harriet Bailey, when he was still an infant and lived with hismaternal grandmother Betty Bailey. His mother died whenDouglass was about seven.The identity of his father is obscure. Douglassoriginally stated that he was told his father was a white ma

6、n,perhaps his master Aaron Anthony. Later he said he knew nothing of his father s identity. At age seven, Douglass was separated from his grandmother and moved to the Wye house plantation, where Anthony worked as overseer. WhenAnthony died, Douglass was given to Lucretia Auld, wife of Thomas Auld. S

7、he sent Douglass to serve Thomas brother Hugh Auld in Baltimore.WhenDouglass was about twelve, Hugh Auld s wife Sophia started teaching him the alphabet despite the fact that it was against the law to teach slaves to read. When Hugh Auld discovered her activity, he strongly disapproved, saying that

8、if a slave learned to read, he would become dissatisfied with his condition and desire freedom. Douglass later referred tothis statement as the “ first decidedly antislavery lecture ” he had ever heard. as detailed in his autobiography, Douglasssucceeded in learning to read from white children in th

9、e neighborhood and by observing the writings of men with whom he worked.As Douglass learned and began to read newspapers, political materials, and books of every description, he was exposed to a new realm of thought that led him to question and then condemn the institution of slavery. In later years

10、, Douglass credited the Columbian orator, which he discovered at about age twelve, with clarifying and defining his views on freedom and human rights.When Douglass was hired out to William Freeland, he taught other slaves on the plantation to read the NewTestament at a weekly Sunday school. As word

11、spread, the interest among slaves in learning to read was so great that in any week, more than 40 slaves would attend lessons. For about six months,their study went relatively unnoticed. While Freeland was complacent about their activities, other plantation owners became incensed that their slaves w

12、ere being educated. One Sunday they burst in on the gathering, armed with clubs and stones, to disperse the congregation permanently.In 1833, Thomas Auld took Douglass back from Hugh after a dispute ( “ as a means of punishing Hugh, ” Douglass wrote). Dissatisfied with Douglass, Thomas Auld sent him

13、 to work forEdward covey,a poor farmer who had a reputation as a“slave-breaker.” there Douglass was whipped regularly. Thesixteen-year-oldDouglass was indeed nearly brokenpsychologicallyby his ordeal under covey, but he finallyrebelled against the beatings and fought back. After losing a confrontati

14、on with Douglass, covey never tried to beat him again.In 1837, Douglass met Anna Murray, a free black inBaltimore. They married soon after he obtained his freedom.From slavery to freedomDouglass first unsuccessfully tried to escape from Freeland, who had hired him out from his owner colonel Lloyd. I

15、n 1836, he tried to escape from his newowner covey, but failed again.On September 3, 1838, Douglass successfully escaped by boarding a train to Havre De Grace, Maryland. Dressed in a sailor s uniform, he carried identification papers provided by a free black seaman. He crossed the Susquehanna River

16、by ferry at Havre De Grace, and then continued by train toWilmington, Delaware. From there he went by steamboat to “ Quaker City ” (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) and continued to New York; the whole journey took less than 24 hours.Frederick Douglass later wrote of his arrival in NewYorkCity:“I have of

17、ten been asked how I felt when first I found myself on free soil. And myreaders mayshare the samecuriosity. There is scarcely anything in myexperience about which I could not give a more satisfactory answer. A new world had opened upon me. If life is more than breath, and the quick roundof blood, I

18、lived more in one day than in a year of my slave life. It was a time of joyous excitement which words can but tamely describe. In a letter written to a friend soon after reaching New York, I said: I felt as one might feel uponescape from a den of hungry lions. anguish and grief, likedarkness and rai

19、n, may be depicted; but gladness and joy, like the rainbow, defy the skill of pen or pencil.Abolitionist activitiesDouglass continued traveling up to Massachusetts. There he joined various organizations in New Bedford, including a black church, and regularly attended abolitionist meetings.He subscri

20、bed to William Lloyd Garrison s weekly journal the liberator, and in 1841 heard Garrison speak at a meeting of the Bristol anti-slavery society. At one of these meetings, Douglass was unexpectedly asked to speak.After he told his story, he was encouraged to become an anti-slavery lecturer. Douglass

21、was inspired by Garrison and later stated that “ no face and form ever impressed me withsuch sentiments of the hatred of slavery as did those of William Lloyd Garrison. ” Garrison was likewise impressed withDouglass and wrote of him in the liberator. Several days later, Douglass delivered his first

22、speech at the Massachusetts anti-slavery society s annual convention in Nantucket. Then23 years old, Douglass conquered his nervousness and gave an eloquent speech about his rough life as a slave.In 1843, Douglass participated in the American anti-slavery society s hundred conventions project, a six

23、-month tour of meeting halls throughout the eastern and Midwestern United States. he participated in the Seneca falls convention, the birthplace of the American feminist movement, and signed its declaration of sentiments.AutobiographyDouglass best-known work is his first autobiography narrative of t

24、he life of Frederick Douglass, an American slave, published in 1845. at the time, someskeptics attacked the book and questioned whether a black man could have produced such an eloquent piece of literature. The book received generally positive reviews and it becamean immediate bestseller. Within thre

25、e years of its publication, the autobiography had been reprinted nine times with 11,000 copies circulating in the United States; it was also translated into French and Dutch and published in Europe.The book s success had an unfortunate side effect in making him a public figure. Douglass friends and

26、mentorsfeared that the publicity would draw the attention of his ex-owner, HughAuld, whomight try to get his “property ” back. They encouraged Douglass to tour Ireland, as many other former slaves had done. Douglass set sail on the Cambria for Liverpool on august 16, 1845, and arrived in Ireland as

27、the Irish potato famine was beginning.Douglass published three versions of his autobiography during his lifetime (and revised the third of these), each time expanding on the previous one. The 1845 narrative, which was his biggest seller, was followed by my bondage and my freedom in 1855. In 1881, af

28、ter the civil war, Douglass published life and times of Frederick Douglass, which he revised in 1892.Fight for emancipationDouglass and the abolitionists argued that because the aim of the war was to end slavery, African Americans should be allowed to engage in the fight for their freedom. Douglass

29、publicized this view in his newspapers and several speeches.President Lincoln s emancipation proclamation, whichtook effect on January 1, 1863, declared the freedom of all slaves in confederate-held territory. Douglass described the spirit of those awaiting the proclamation: “ we were waitingand lis

30、tening as for a bolt from the sky.we were watching.by the dim light of the stars for the dawn of a new day.we were longing for the answer to the agonizing prayersof centuries. ”With the north no longer obliged to return slaves to their owners in the south, Douglass fought for equality for his people

31、. He made plans with Lincoln to move the liberated slaves out of the south. During the war, Douglass helped the union by serving as a recruiter for the 54th Massachusetts regiment. His son Frederick Douglass jr. also served as a recruiter and his other son, Lewis Douglass, fought for the 54th Massac

32、husetts regiment at the battle of fort Wagner.Slavery everywhere in the United States was outlawed by the post-war (1865) ratification of the 13th amendment. The14th amendment provided for citizenship and equal protection under the law. The 15th amendment protected all citizens frombeing discriminated against in voting because of race.After reconstructionAs white democrats regained power in the state legislatures of the south after reconstruction, they began to impose new laws that disfranchised blacks and to cre