VI.

Postwar Reformer

During Reconstruction (traditionally 1865-1877) when the United States tried to rebuild after the Civil War, Douglass campaigned for suffrage and full civil rights for all blacks. He became a leading spokesperson for improving the situation of former slaves. He also worked for the passage of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments, which banned slavery, made all people born in the United States citizens, and prohibited racial discrimination in voting (see Constitution of the United States). Most feminists opposed the 14th and 15th Amendments because they did not provide voting rights for women. Douglass passionately argued that while women ought to have the right to vote, black men needed the vote immediately to protect them and their families from the political power of Southern whites. Douglass continued his tireless effort to secure black rights, but he also actively supported equal rights for women. In 1872 he was the vice-presidential candidate on the Equal Rights Party slate headed by the feminist Victoria Claflin Woodhull, the first woman ever to run for the presidency.

In 1872 Douglass moved to Washington, D.C., and increasingly became recognized as a leader of America's blacks. Douglass remained loyal to the Republican Party, despite its declining commitment to black causes after Reconstruction, but his own dedication to reform never wavered. Douglass held several government posts, serving as U.S. marshal for the District of Columbia (see Marshals Service) from 1877 to 1881 and as recorder of deeds for the District until 1886. He continued his active role in public service from 1889 to 1891 as U.S. minister to Haiti.

Controversy arose during the later years of Douglass’s life. In 1882 his wife of 44 years died, and in January 1884 Douglass married his white secretary, Helen Pitts. Some blacks, and many whites, criticized him for marrying outside his race, but Douglass categorically rejected the notion that his actions should be constrained by his skin color. For him the marriage symbolized one more victory in his lifelong crusade against racial discrimination.

At his death in 1895, Douglass had already established his reputation as the foremost African American spokesperson of the 19th century as well as one of the nation’s most effective orators and activists. Recognition of the scope of his achievements has grown since that time. His three autobiographies are considered literary classics and provide compelling testimony about slavery’s impact on those held in bondage. The story of his struggle to obtain an education and to win his freedom illustrates his remarkable personal strength and perseverance. These same characteristics also contributed to his emergence as a prominent civil rights advocate and a leading figure in other national reform movements of the era.