Frederick Douglass: The Philosophical Writings

Frederick Douglass’ fame as an activist and abolitionist often eclipses his less appreciated work as a political philosopher. Indeed, few people know that he declared in an 1867 speech: ＂From this little bit of experience, slave experience, I have elaborated quite a lengthy chapter of political philosophy, applicable to the American people.＂ However, Douglass did not develop this philosophy systematically. Instead, he expressed it in myriad moments and fragments throughout his writings, and for this reason it is often overlooked, even by scholars of philosophy.

The philosophy Douglass drew from his experience of enslavement and anti-Black racism is as relevant today as it was in his lifetime. More than any other abolitionist and Black activist of his day, Douglass saw that the slavery system was both the cause and the consequence of virulent anti-Black racism. Seeking to understand and repudiate not just racism, but also sexism and nativism, he developed a powerful theory of human nature, human powers, and human dignity that he subsequently wove into a profound theory of democracy and democratic citizenship. This collection, carefully curated by editor Nick Bromell, makes Douglass’s philosophical ideas available and compelling to a new generation of readers.

Nick Bromell focuses on historical and cultural constructions of what counts as ＂knowledge＂ and ＂knowing.＂ He is the author of four books, most recently The Time Is Always Now: Black Thought and the Transformation of US Democracy, and The Powers of Dignity: The Black Political Philosophy of Frederick Douglass. His research has appeared in numerous academic journals, including American Quarterly, Critical Philosophy of Race, and Political Theory. He is the founding editor of The Boston Review, a former president of the New England American Studies Association, and Professor Emeritus at University of Massachusetts Amherst.