Frederick Douglass and the Rebirth of American Liberalism

FAIN: FB-51879-05

Peter C. Myers
University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire (Eau Claire, WI 54701-4811)

I am writing a book on the political thought of Frederick Douglass. It will consist generally of two parts. The first part will explore Douglass's fundamental principles, or his attempts to ground his arguments in permanent, universal truths of political philosophy. The second part will consider Douglass's applications of those principles to some of the deepest problems in American political life. My discussion will move from Douglass's arguments on slavery, natural rights, and moral virtue to his strategies for abolition, reconstruction, and racial integration.

Associated Products

Frederick Douglass: Race and the Rebirth of American Liberalism (Book)
Title: Frederick Douglass: Race and the Rebirth of American Liberalism
Author: Peter C. Myers
Abstract: Myers examines the philosophic core of Douglass’s political thought, offering a greater understanding of its depth and coherence. He depicts Douglass as the leading thinker to apply the Founders’ doctrine of natural rights to the plight of African Americans—an activist who grounded his arguments on the rights guaranteed by the Constitution and the inherent injustice not only of slavery but of any form of racial superiority. Myers finds in Douglass’s political thought the foundations of a revitalized argument for the mainstream civil rights, integrationist tradition of African American political thought. His analysis offers a new way of looking at an important thinker, as well as a compelling case for hoping that race relations in America will improve over time.
Year: 2008
Primary URL: http://www.worldcat.org/title/frederick-douglass-race-and-the-rebirth-of-american-liberalism/oclc/172521689&referer=brief_results
Publisher: University Press of Kansas
Type: Single author monograph
ISBN: 9780700615728

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