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On February 14, America will observe the birthday of the long-lasting Frederick Douglass. Whereas the yr of his start has been narrowed down to 2 potential candidates, the precise month and day Douglass was born are nonetheless unknown.
In his autobiographical writings, Douglass believed he was born within the month of February, and he thought the yr was 1818.
Douglass wrote about talking in 1877 with Captain Thomas Auld, considered one of his former enslavers, on Auld’s demise mattress. “I advised him I had at all times been curious to understand how outdated I used to be and that it had been a severe hassle to me, to not know when was my birthday. He stated he couldn’t inform me that, however he thought I used to be born in February 1818.” Douglass had been advised by Auld’s former spouse, Lucretia, that he had been born in 1817.
In 1980, historian Dickson Preston revealed proof from the Maryland Archives that confirmed a ledger from Aaron Anthony, Douglass’ first enslaver. The start ledger listed “Frederick Augustus son of Harriott, Feby 1818.” Frederick was born as Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey and his mom was Harriet Bailey. However Preston additionally believed the notation within the ledger was added at a later date.
In My Bondage and My Freedom, Douglass recalled his final assembly along with his mom, the place she introduced him with a cake. “The ‘candy cake’ my mom gave me was within the form of a coronary heart, with a wealthy, darkish ring glazed upon the sting of it. I used to be victorious, and properly off for the second; prouder, on my mom’s knee, than a king upon his throne,” he wrote. Preston stated Douglass later might have speculated that his birthday was someway linked to Valentine’s Day.
Late in his life, the Bethel Literary Society in Washington, D. C. determined to honor Douglass on his birthday in 1888. The occasion acquired a great deal of publicity. Based on an account within the Washington Night Star, the occasion was held on February 28, 1888. After the opposite dignitaries spoke, Douglass took the stage as he twirled his glasses.
“I perceive from some issues which have occurred since I got here in that you’ve got been celebrating my seventy-first birthday. What on the earth have you ever been doing that for? Why Frederick Douglass. That day was taken from him lengthy earlier than he had the technique of proudly owning it. Birthdays belong to free establishments. We, on the South, by no means knew them. We had been born at instances: harvest instances, watermelon instances, and usually laborious instances. I by no means knew something in regards to the celebration of a birthday besides Washington’s birthday, and it appears a bit unusual to have mine celebrated. I believe it’s hardly protected to have a good time any man’s birthday whereas he lives,” Douglass stated.
In 1891, Frederic Could Holland wrote a Douglass biography about 4 years earlier than Douglass died. “It has been a supply of nice annoyance to me, by no means to have a birthday,” Holland reported Douglass as saying in a non-public letter. “He supposes that he was born in February 1817, however nobody is aware of the day of his start or his father’s title,” Holland stated.
Douglass died in Washington, D.C. from an obvious coronary heart assault on February 20, 1895. The next yr, the Bethel Literary Society met on February 18 to have a good time Douglass’ birthday. The Washington Publish stated that Douglass had determined throughout his lifetime to make use of Valentine’s Day to make his birthday. “After he bought his freedom he celebrated St. Valentine’s Day as his birthday, since he felt he had an excellent a proper to have a birthday as different individuals, and he favored the traditions surrounding that date.” The society famous their scheduled assembly date was near the Valentine’s Day vacation.
In subsequent years, native faculties for African American kids began marking the noticed birthday as “Douglass Day.” In 1897, the Publish stated that celebration was held on February 13, because the vacation fell on a Saturday. Douglass’ two sons introduced a drawing of their father to the principal of the segregated highschool on M Road, which had a constructing named for Douglass. The town had additionally made Douglass Day a vacation for its segregated faculties.
By 1901, Douglass Day was being noticed in a similar way in Chicago and different cities.
Scott Bomboy is the editor in chief of the Nationwide Structure Middle.
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