You likely know Frederick Douglass (1880-1895) was a slave turned abolitionist, journalist, orator and the first African-American to hold a significant U.S. government rank, as ambassador to Haiti under the Benjamin Harrison Administration.
But you may not know in addition to his newspaper work and autobiographies, Douglass produced a novel. In 1852, The Heroic Slave was published. It is Douglass’ only work of fiction.
“He originally was going to write a straight history of this account, but there’s so many lost details, he thought he could convey the importance of it better by fictionalizing it,” said Jack Kaufman-McKivigan, the Mary O’Brien Gibson professor of History at IUPUI and editor of The Frederick Douglass Papers Edition, part of the Institute for American Thought, also of IUPUI.
“I think he identified with the main character after having been an abolitionist,” commented Kaufman-McKivigan. “He was kind of warning the South to be prepared, that slaves had a right to take up arms to be free and he wasn’t going to apologize for that.”
The Heroic Slave is inspired by Madison Washington, a slave and cook aboard a ship called Creole. During an 1841 excursion from Richmond, Va. to New Orleans, Washington led a successful rebellion of numerous slaves. The slaves sailed to the Bahamas and were able to regain their freedom.
Kaufman-McKivigan and his staff have taken Douglass’ original text, updated it and are republishing The Heroic Slave.
“We wanted to get it back into print and make it easily accessible and understandable to modern readers,” said Kaufman-McKivigan. “Steven Spielberg didn’t make a movie of it like he did ‘Amistad,’ but it’s equally as significant.”
The Heroic Slave will be released in February 2015 from Yale University Press.
Stanley Harrold, professor of history at South Carolina State University, believes The Heroic Slave is a must-read for historians, book lovers and those who advocate for equality. Harrold was in Indianapolis recently to discuss Frederick Douglass’ significance and his book.
“This book indicates a tendency within the anti-slavery movement toward acceptance of violent means. Before the 1840s, almost all abolitionists were pacifists. But I think mainly because of an increase in slave escapes and less often, slave revolts, abolitionists became more willing to advocate violence,” said Harrold.
Kaufman-McKivigan said the novel also demonstrates a lost and underappreciated talent of Douglass.
Harrold said he believes that while Douglass remains relevant to today’s culture, he’s not receiving the attention he deserves, likely because he lived so long ago.
“He is the best-known 19th century Black leader,” said Harrold.
Though Blacks have made progress (especially the election of President Barack Obama) he believes Douglass would be concerned. Harrold said Douglass’ message remains pertinent in today’s society.
For example: Douglass voiced his opinions about equal rights and was anti-racism – issues we see today in places like Ferguson, Mo.
“There are more slaves today than in his time because of human trafficking. He’s very important in that issue because he shows that someone caught in that situation is not hopeless,” added Harrold.
Although Douglass was a self-taught scholar, Harrold said he remains a great example of someone who knew the true value of formal education. Failing schools, closing learning gaps and access to higher education still challenge us today.
Many don’t realize Douglass was a strong supporter of women’s rights. Harrold said if Douglass were alive today, he’d be disappointed by the continuing plague of domestic violence.
Douglass was goal-oriented, a trait today’s leaders could use. Kaufman-McKivigan believes he was and uncompromising figure who reminded the nation “you have to live up to everything you promised and extend that to everyone in this country” – a parallel of today’s freedom fighters.
“His personal example of resistance against oppression and demanding equal treatment and equal rights are issues that haven’t gone away, unfortunately,” added Kaufman-McKivigan. “He’s timeless.”
For more information, call (317) 274-5834 or visit iupui.edu/~douglass.
