The Most Influential African-American Man Of The 19th Century: Frederick Douglass (Life As A Free Man)
By Stella Akuba Opare
Anna Murray Douglass, a brilliant and dedicated wife and mother; planned and financed Frederick Douglass’ escape from slavery and continued to support him by hosting visitors to their home and holding down the fort in their home as he traveled across the continent. Anna eventually died of a stroke in 1882 at their home in Washington. Shortly after she passed on, Frederick married a white woman, Helen Pitts, from a family of devout abolitionists. This came at a time when interracial relationships were widely forbidden in America. Their union faced widespread criticism factored by the age gap between the two and their racial differences. The daughter of one of Frederick’s allies, Helen previously worked as his secretary and then a live-in caretaker for Anna, his first wife. Eventually, she was excluded from her father’s will and shunned by her family.
It set the stage for a now longstanding discourse within the black community and beyond on the issue of ‘‘black men’’ choosing non-black partners. From a liberal perspective, Douglas may have felt the need to marry outside of his race to better navigate the white institutional and anti-black infrastructures, advance his cause, and be counted as equal among his white peers or it was a mere decision born out of a shared passion for political reforms, leading to an intense, irreplaceable desire for Helen.
Douglas challenged the status quo and overcame his reality. After several unsuccessful attempts towards freedom, he finally escaped in 1838 and found himself on free soil in New York City, in the safe house of David Ruggles, an African-American anti-slavery abolitionist. Frederick’s escape is believed to have been inspired by his encounter with Anna Murray, a free black woman whose status renewed his hopes and dreams of gaining freedom. The two got married a few days after he arrived in New York where they set up a home and Anna devoted her resources towards her husband’s success. From this point, Frederick Douglas chartered a path that led to him becoming a household name among Black and white audiences.