BLOG 1: Frederick Douglass

It is not easy to render Thoreau or Emerson to one single philosophy, although they do sometimes address consistent themes. With Frederick Douglass, it is easier to pinpoint a single argument or statement. He believes slavery is wrong, and he believes that everyone knows slavery is wrong. Douglass says he will not argue that slaves are men because “the manhood of the slave is conceded”; he will not argue that men are entitled to liberty because “you have already declared it”, referring to The Declaration of Independence; and he will not argue the wrongfulness of slavery because “there is not a man beneath the canopy of heaven that does not know that slavery is wrong” (Douglass). He makes his point; he iterates it eloquently; and he does it all logically.

Although abolition may be parts of Thoreau’s and Emerson’s beliefs, they do not make up the entirety of their philosophies. Their beliefs are more abstract in a way that a lot of them cannot be proven factually. Emerson can say that “matter is a phenomenon, not a substance” but there is no way to prove this, and, if anything, this would be easier to disprove. (Emerson). Just like how Thoreau can say that there are times when it is acceptable to break the law in “Civil Disobedience”, but there is no way to substantiate this.

In relation to Douglass’ belief of abolition, Thoreau said “if one honest man, ceasing to hold slaves, withdrew from the government and went to jail it would be the abolition of slavery in America” (Thoreau). Emerson has said “I think we must get rid of slavery or we must get rid of freedom.... If you put a chain around the neck of a slave, the other end fastens itself around your own” (Riley). Both of these men definitely had the same beliefs as Douglass in regards to the ethics of slavery, but they were not as adamant about it. Emerson was reluctant to associate himself with the cause until later in his life, but Thoreau helped fugitive slaves in his life (Riley). Douglass was more compelling about the issue, in writing and in life, because it directly affected him. Thoreau wrote about government and government intervention because that was something that directly affected him, so their philosophies were what they focused their attention on.

Douglass, Frederick. "Africans in America/Part 4/Frederick Douglass Speech." PBS: Public Broadcasting Service. Web. 06 Feb. 2012. .

Emerson, Ralph Waldo. "Nature." Ralph Waldo Emerson Texts. Web. 06 Feb. 2012. .

Riley, Shannon. "Ideas-Reform-Emerson." Virginia Commonwealth University. Web. 06 Feb. 2012. .

Thoreau, Henry David. "Thoreau's Civil Disobedience - with Annotated Text." The Thoreau Reader. Web. 25 Jan. 2012.