"The Lessons of the Hour" Speech by Frederick Douglass, January 9, 1894

    Courtesy of Library of Congress, Douglass, Frederick, "Address ... January 9th, 1894, on the Lessons of the Hour - Folder 1 of 8," 9 January 1894

    Description

    On January 9, 1894, at Washington, D.C.'s, Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church, Frederick Douglass delivered his "The Lessons of the Hour" speech, which addressed the often referred to "Negro problem" of the time. Refusing to believe that African Americans were to blame for the racial tension and violence between African Americans and whites, his speech included such topics as lynching, suffrage, colonization and the need for America to eliminate prejudice and adhere to its founding principles.

    Full Transcript of "The Lessons of the Hour" Speech by Frederick Douglass

    Transcribed Excerpts "The Lessons of the Hour" Speech by Frederick Douglass

    Source-Dependent Questions

    • Explain two ways white landowners exploited African-American laborers as described by Frederick Douglass.
    • In this excerpt, Douglass explained how the sharecropping system worked. How would you characterize it? Use evidence from the speech to support your characterization.
    • Consider the voting qualifications in "What A Colored Man Should Do To Vote." How would this arrangement of labor impact the ability of African Americans to meet voting qualifications in those states?
    • Paraphrase the section beginning with "To my mind …"
    • At the time of this speech, approximately 80 percent of southern African Americans lived and worked on farms. What alternatives might rural African Americans have had for employment?

    Citation Information 

    Douglass, Frederick, "Address ... January 9th, 1894, on the Lessons of the Hour - Folder 1 of 8," 9 January 1894. Courtesy of Library of Congress

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