A Glorious Liberty: Frederick Douglass and the Fight for an Antislavery Constitution (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9781640122352)

2021 Choice Outstanding Academic Title

In this timely and provocative book, Damon Root reveals how Frederick Douglass's fight for an antislavery Constitution helped to shape the course of American history in the nineteenth century and beyond. At a time when the principles of the Constitution and Declaration of Independence were under assault, Frederick Douglass picked up their banner, championing inalienable rights for all, regardless of race. When Americans were killing each other on the battlefield, Douglass fought for a cause greater than the mere preservation of the Union. "No war but an Abolition war," he maintained. "No peace but an Abolition peace." In the aftermath of the Civil War, when state and local governments were violating the rights of the recently emancipated, Douglass preached the importance of "the ballot-box, the jury-box, and the cartridge-box" in the struggle against Jim Crow.

Frederick Douglass, the former slave who had secretly taught himself how to read, would teach the American people a thing or two about the true meaning of the Constitution. This is the story of a fundamental debate that goes to the very heart of America's founding ideals--a debate that is still very much with us today.

Author: Damon Root
ISBN-10: 1640122354
ISBN-13: 9781640122352
Publisher: Potomac Books
Language: English
Published: 10/01/2020
Pages: 200
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 0.90lbs
Size: 9.20h x 6.31w x 0.85d

Review Citation(s):
Choice 09/01/2021