Fredrick Douglass Journal Entries

These are not real journal entries but based on real facts and events.

April 14, 1861

News of a first battle of what I think will be the start of a civil war came the other day. Just the other day I thought about what my goals would be over the course of the next years. It was hard to think about how I would do this, would it work, would people support me enough. I could just let slavery die out but I ought to fight it like I have since I was a boy. Now however I know I need to free the slaves. And I need to let my people fight along side the white man to help them earn their freedom. The union might have their goals, but I have mine. I will go to Lincoln and express my opinion, I can imagine a man of his statue might listen. If I spread my word enough like I plan too I think he might have to invite me to talk by then. From this day on I and the voice of millions will be 100% clear among this nation and many others.

December 6, 1861

Should I keep going for my goals? It funny how everyone seems to understand what I am say to them. But what gets to me even more is when it knocks on the door in DC and no one is there to answer. When I look around while I am there, I watch my fellow people being sold for pennies. On man who had been beaten and beaten by all his masters, went for $7.13 and a basket of corn. It still rings through my mind, that even though we are at was this still happens to my kind. Treated like dirt by some, and nearly equal by others. When will something be done? When will we amount to something? Why fight to preserve a union, that will always be divided?

April 17, 1861

Finally my prayers to go have started to be heard. Finally the message I have sent out has been answered, not only heard. Just the other day, slavery was outlawed in Washington DC. It seems that the factory of slavery being need to be eliminated has begun. For once someone has listen, and from a man who I started to think just didn't care about us. I don't blame president Lincoln for wanting to preserve the union. In fact I can't blame him as that should be the 1st priority of a nation. But for a while it had felt as if he had forgotten reasons why we are divided. The south know what they are fighting for, but we seem to act like we don't know what we are fighting for.

August 27, 1864

The black man has been freed from his master. Her has ran to the north. He has picked up his gun. I rejoice in all the work I have done for my cause and the other who have fallowed. But I still have pain with in me. President Lincoln does not seem to fully understand me. When I had asked him to treat my people as equals I expected him to. But I do however understand that he as one man can not make them looked upon