英语故事Frederick Douglass.docx

英语故事Frederick Douglass.docx

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英语故事FrederickDouglass

英语故事

FrederickDouglass

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。

FrederickDouglass

FrederickDouglass（bornFrederickAugustusWashingtonBailey,circa1818–February20,1895）anAmericanabolitionist,women’ssuffragist,editor,orator,author,statesman,ministerandreformer.Escapingfromslavery,hemadestrongcontributionstotheabolitionistmovement,andachievedapubliccareerthatledtohisbeingcalled“thesageofAnacostia”and“thelionofAnacostia”.DouglassisoneofthemostprominentfiguresinAfricanAmericanandUnitedStateshistory.

Hewasafirmbelieverintheequalityofallpeople,whetherblack,female,NativeAmerican,orrecentimmigrant.Hewasfondofsaying,“Iwouldunitewithanybodytodorightandwithnobodytodowrong.”

Lifeasaslave

FrederickDouglassbeganhisownstorythus:

“IwasborninTuckahoe,nearHillsborough,andabouttwelvemilesfromEaston,inTalbotCounty,Maryland.”FrederickAugustusWashingtonBailey,wholaterbecameknownasFrederickDouglass,wasbornaslaveinTalbotcounty,Maryland,betweenHillsboroandCordova,inashackeastoftapperscornerandwestofTuckahoecreek.Hewasseparatedfromhismother,HarrietBailey,whenhewasstillaninfantandlivedwithhismaternalgrandmotherBettyBailey.HismotherdiedwhenDouglasswasaboutseven.

Theidentityofhisfatherisobscure.Douglassoriginallystatedthathewastoldhisfatherwasawhiteman,perhapshismasterAaronAnthony.Laterhesaidheknewnothingofhisfather’sidentity.Atageseven,DouglasswasseparatedfromhisgrandmotherandmovedtotheWyehouseplantation,whereAnthonyworkedasoverseer.WhenAnthonydied,DouglasswasgiventoLucretiaAuld,wifeofThomasAuld.ShesentDouglasstoserveThomas’brotherHughAuldinBaltimore.

WhenDouglasswasabouttwelve,HughAuld’swifeSophiastartedteachinghimthealphabetdespitethefactthatitwasagainstthelawtoteachslavestoread.WhenHughAulddiscoveredheractivity,hestronglydisapproved,sayingthatifaslavelearnedtoread,hewouldbecomedissatisfiedwithhisconditionanddesirefreedom.Douglasslaterreferredtothisstatementasthe“firstdecidedlyantislaverylecture”hehadeverheard.asdetailedinhisautobiography,Douglasssucceededinlearningtoreadfromwhitechildrenintheneighborhoodandbyobservingthewritingsofmenwithwhomheworked.

AsDouglasslearnedandbegantoreadnewspapers,politicalmaterials,andbooksofeverydescription,hewasexposedtoanewrealmofthoughtthatledhimtoquestionandthencondemntheinstitutionofslavery.Inlateryears,DouglasscreditedtheColumbianorator,whichhediscoveredataboutagetwelve,withclarifyinganddefininghisviewsonfreedomandhumanrights.

WhenDouglasswashiredouttoWilliamFreeland,hetaughtotherslavesontheplantationtoreadtheNewTestamentataweeklySundayschool.Aswordspread,theinterestamongslavesinlearningtoreadwassogreatthatinanyweek,morethan40slaveswouldattendlessons.Foraboutsixmonths,theirstudywentrelativelyunnoticed.WhileFreelandwascomplacentabouttheiractivities,otherplantationownersbecameincensedthattheirslaveswerebeingeducated.OneSundaytheyburstinonthegathering,armedwithclubsandstones,todispersethecongregationpermanently.

In1833,ThomasAuldtookDouglassbackfromHughafteradispute（“asameansofpunishingHugh,”Douglasswrote）.DissatisfiedwithDouglass,ThomasAuldsenthimtoworkforEdwardcovey,apoorfarmerwhohadareputationasa“slave-breaker.”thereDouglasswaswhippedregularly.Thesixteen-year-oldDouglasswasindeednearlybrokenpsychologicallybyhisordealundercovey,buthefinallyrebelledagainstthebeatingsandfoughtback.AfterlosingaconfrontationwithDouglass,coveynevertriedtobeathimagain.

In1837,DouglassmetAnnaMurray,afreeblackinBaltimore.Theymarriedsoonafterheobtainedhisfreedom.

Fromslaverytofreedom

DouglassfirstunsuccessfullytriedtoescapefromFreeland,whohadhiredhimoutfromhisownercolonelLloyd.In1836,hetriedtoescapefromhisnewownercovey,butfailedagain.

OnSeptember3,1838,DouglasssuccessfullyescapedbyboardingatraintoHavreDeGrace,Maryland.Dressedinasailor’suniform,hecarriedidentificationpapersprovidedbyafreeblackseaman.HecrossedtheSusquehannaRiverbyferryatHavreDeGrace,andthencontinuedbytraintoWilmington,Delaware.Fromtherehewentbysteamboatto“QuakerCity”（Philadelphia,Pennsylvania）andcontinuedtoNewYork;thewholejourneytooklessthan24hours.

FrederickDouglasslaterwroteofhisarrivalinNewYorkCity:

“IhaveoftenbeenaskedhowIfeltwhenfirstIfoundmyselfonfreesoil.Andmyreadersmaysharethesamecuriosity.ThereisscarcelyanythinginmyexperienceaboutwhichIcouldnotgiveamoresatisfactoryanswer.Anewworldhadopeneduponme.Iflifeismorethanbreath,andthe‘quickroundofblood,’Ilivedmoreinonedaythaninayearofmyslavelife.Itwasatimeofjoyousexcitementwhichwordscanbuttamelydescribe.InaletterwrittentoafriendsoonafterreachingNewYork,Isaid:

‘Ifeltasonemightfeeluponescapefromadenofhungrylions.’anguishandgrief,likedarknessandrain,maybedepicted;butgladnessandjoy,liketherainbow,defytheskillofpenorpencil.”

Abolitionistactivities

DouglasscontinuedtravelinguptoMassachusetts.TherehejoinedvariousorganizationsinNewBedford,includingablackchurch,andregularlyattendedabolitionistmeetings.HesubscribedtoWilliamLloydGarrison’sweeklyjournaltheliberator,andin1841heardGarrisonspeakatameetingoftheBristolanti-slaverysociety.Atoneofthesemeetings,Douglasswasunexpectedlyaskedtospeak.

Afterhetoldhisstory,hewasencouragedtobecomeananti-slaverylecturer.DouglasswasinspiredbyGarrisonandlaterstatedthat“nofaceandformeverimpressedmewithsuchsentimentsofthehatredofslaveryasdidthoseofWilliamLloydGarrison.”GarrisonwaslikewiseimpressedwithDouglassandwroteofhimintheliberator.Severaldayslater,DouglassdeliveredhisfirstspeechattheMassachusettsanti-slaverysociety’sannualconventioninNantucket.Then23yearsold,Douglassconqueredhisnervousnessandgaveaneloquentspeechabouthisroughlifeasaslave.

In1843,DouglassparticipatedintheAmericananti-slaverysociety’shundredconventionsproject,asix-monthtourofmeetinghallsthroughouttheeasternandMidwesternUnitedStates.heparticipatedintheSenecafallsconvention,thebirthplaceoftheAmericanfeministmovement,andsigneditsdeclarationofsentiments.

Autobiography

Douglass’best-knownworkishisfirstautobiographynarrativeofthelifeofFrederickDouglass,anAmericanslave,publishedin1845.atthetime,someskepticsattackedthebookandquestionedwhetherablackmancouldhaveproducedsuchaneloquentpieceofliterature.Thebookreceivedgenerallypositivereviewsanditbecameanimmediatebestseller.Withinthreeyearsofitspublication,theautobiographyhadbeenreprintedninetimeswith11,000copiescirculatingintheUnitedStates;itwasalsotranslatedintoFrenchandDutchandpublishedinEurope.

Thebook’ssuccesshadanunfortunatesideeffectinmakinghimapublicfigure.Douglass’friendsandmentorsfearedthatthepublicitywoulddrawtheattentionofhisex-owner,HughAuld,whomighttrytogethis“property”back.TheyencouragedDouglasstotourIreland,asmanyotherformerslaveshaddone.DouglasssetsailontheCambriaforLiverpoolonaugust16,1845,andarrivedinIrelandastheIrishpotatofaminewasbeginning.

Douglasspublishedthreeversionsofhisautobiographyduringhislifetime（andrevisedthethirdofthese）,eachtimeexpandingonthepreviousone.The1845narrative,whichwashisbiggestseller,wasfollowedbymybondageandmyfreedomin1855.In1881,afterthecivilwar,DouglasspublishedlifeandtimesofFrederickDouglass,whichherevisedin1892.

Fightforemancipation

Douglassandtheabolitionistsarguedthatbecausetheaimofthewarwastoendslavery,AfricanAmericansshouldbeallowedtoengageinthefightfortheirfreedom.Douglasspublicizedthisviewinhisnewspapersandseveralspeeches.

PresidentLincoln’semancipationproclamation,whichtookeffectonJanuary1,1863,declaredthefreedomofallslavesinconfederate-heldterritory.Douglassdescribedthespiritofthoseawaitingtheproclamation:

“wewerewaitingandlisteningasforaboltfromthesky...wewerewatching...bythedimlightofthestarsforthedawnofanewday...wewerelongingfortheanswertotheagonizingprayersofcenturies.”

Withthenorthnolongerobligedtoreturnslavestotheirownersinthesouth,Douglassfoughtforequalityforhispeople.HemadeplanswithLincolntomovetheliberatedslavesoutofthesouth.Duringthewar,Douglasshelpedtheunionbyservingasarecruiterforthe54thMassachusettsregiment.HissonFrederickDouglassjr.alsoservedasarecruiterandhisotherson,LewisDouglass,foughtforthe54thMassachusettsregimentatthebattleoffortWagner.

SlaveryeverywhereintheUnitedStateswasoutlawedbythepost-war（1865）ratificationofthe13thamendment.The14thamendmentprovidedforcitizenshipandequalprotectionunderthelaw.The15thamendmentprotectedallcitizensfrombeingdiscriminatedagainstinvotingbecauseofrace.

Afterreconstruction

Aswhitedemocratsregainedpowerinthestatelegislaturesofthesouthafterreconstruction,theybegantoimposenewlawsthat