Celebrating Rights and Responsibilities

Baltimore & the Fifteenth Amendment, May 19, 1870
An Interactive Historical Investigation by David Troy © 1996

FREDERICK DOUGLASS made a speech as part of the celebration in Baltimore. It eloquently addressed the blessings and the challenges that were inherent in the passing of the 15th Amendment. However, we have no word-for-word record of the speech. No notes have survived, and until these newspaper articles were rediscovered, this speech was unknown to the papers of Frederick Douglass. What was really said?

When Comparing the Speeches, Consider:

Each newspaper refers to Douglass' oration differently.
The Sun calls it "remarks" while the American calls it a "speech."
The Sun mentions that Dr. Brown would be happy to have Mr. Douglass back working with "them," while the American wishes to have Mr. Douglass back with "us."
The "remarks" in the Sun are longer than the "speech" in the American. Why do you think this is?
Which of the two accounts do you think is more poetic?
Which of the two accounts do you think more accurately reflects what was actually said?
By reading these two accounts, do you think you could write a composite speech that would closely approximate what was really said? Why or why not?

Compare the Reporting in the Sun and the American

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