Douglass, Frederick. Letter to Amy Kirby Post.

Title

Douglass, Frederick. Letter to Amy Kirby Post.

Creator

Douglass, Frederick

Contributor

Post, Amy Kirby, 1802-1889

Date

1868-01-26

Description

Handwritten letter from Frederick Douglass to Amy Kirby Post. Douglass writes to Post about the abuse he received while riding a train from Buffalo, New York to Cleveland, Ohio.

Subject

Post, Amy Kirby, b. 1802

Is Part Of

Isaac and Amy Post Family Papers

Rights

The organization that has made the Item available believes that the Item is in the Public Domain under the laws of the United States, but a determination was not made as to its copyright status under the copyright laws of other countries. The Item may not be in the Public Domain under the laws of other countries. Please refer to the organization that has made the Item available for more information. http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-US/1.0/

Identifier

1680

Location

Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation, River Campus Libraries, University of Rochester

Transcription

(Page 1)

Akron. Jan 26. 1868-

My dear Friend: You manefested [sic] so
much of your old time interest
in me when I called at your house
to say farewell, that I cannot do
less than to send you a line at
this my first opportunity. I had not
travelled far from the sunshine of your
home, before I met the chilling frosts
of that prejudice which has been
the bane of my life. I was positively
refused a berth in the sleeping car from
Buffalo to Cleveland- and threatened with
an old fashoned [sic] "drag out" if I refused
to go out peaceably. High and angry words
passed over me- and for a time, I was
preparing my body for the bruising
in store for me. The loud talk

(Page 2)

between the conductor and myself
brought to the scene a number of
the passengers. Most of whom stood
up manfully for my rights- and this
with my own firmness, brought the
conductor to his senses- He at last
gave me a bed and I slept about
as well as a man can when his
temper has been sorely tried- You
will not regret, my dear friend, when
you review your past, that your life
has been a constant and an earnest
protest against this vile spirit of
caste- I am speaking every night and
travelling every day- I have but little
time for letter writing- Kind Regards to
my friend Isaac- This is a selfish
little note: All about myself-
Truly yours
Frederick Douglass.

Tags

Abolitionism; Personal

Collection

D.93 Isaac and Amy Post Family Papers

Citation

Douglass, Frederick, “Douglass, Frederick. Letter to Amy Kirby Post.,” RBSCP Exhibits, accessed November 21, 2024, https://rbscpexhibits.lib.rochester.edu/items/show/3965.

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