Frederick Douglas and Thomas Paine

Frederick Douglass and Thomas Paine

Thomas Paine and Frederick Douglass are two men who inspired two very different revolutions, one of which led to the founding of a new nation, the other of which led to the freedom from slavery of an entire race of people. These two revolutions were nearly a century apart, yet the principles of each are the same. Both Paine and Douglass spoke with such eloquence and forethought that it is not surprising that their writings made such an impact on citizens as to inspire such profound change that the course of history was altered forever.

Each author spoke to a particular audience. Paine's work was addressing the American colonists who were under the rule of the British monarchy, and Douglass was addressing the issues of slavery within the new nation. Both issues, within their era, were topics of heated debates and passionate protests. Paine and Douglass knew their audience and were aware that their words would surely inspire controversy, however it is doubtful that either man was fully aware of the change that their words would create.

Thomas Paine's Common Sense was first published on January 10, 1776 during on onset of the American Revolutionary War. It was a timely piece because at the time colonists were divided about whether to risk war with Britain in order to gain independent rule. Paine's pamphlet detailed the logical reasons why the colonies should break away from English rule. Paine stated rather matter of fact that it was "ridiculous for an island to rule a continent" (Paine).

He went on to state that America was not a "British nation," but rather was a composite of many European influences which made its whole (Paine). Acknowledging that Britain was the mother country of the colonies, Paine claimed that her actions against her children could only be considered brutal and horrendous, and moreover, by being tied to Britain would only involve the colonies in European wars that were not of their concern and which would surely interfere with international commerce (Paine). Furthermore, Paine stated the obvious, such as the fact that the distance between the colonies and the mother country made it impractical for British rule, for it could take a year or longer for news to travel to the Americas (Paine). He also creates an optimistic environment within the pamphlet but referring to the military potential of the colonies and how easy it would be for them to build a navy using the vast lumber available in America's forests (Paine).

Perhaps one of the most famous lines from Paine's writing is "Society in every state is a blessing, but Government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state an intolerable one: for when we suffer, or are exposed to the same miseries" (Paine). Paine further states that "Government, like dress, is the badge of lost innocence; the palaces of kings are built upon the ruins of the bowers of paradise" (Paine).

Frederick Douglass's Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave was published in 1845, roughly seventy years after the birth of the United States. In this work, Douglass describes his birth into slavery and his ultimate escape to freedom. It would be some sixteen years before the nation would be involved in yet another war, however this time the enemy was not across the ocean, but instead were the American citizens themselves.

Douglass begins by relating the fact that he never really knew his mother having seen her no "more than four or five times" in his life, and writes that he received that news of her death with "much the same emotions I should have probably felt at the death of a stranger" (Douglass). Douglass tells of his life as a slave, of being bought and sold several times, and his undying desire for freedom. He also describes the horrors of slavery, of beatings and murders, and the unjustified oppression of an entire population of Americans. In the last chapter, Douglass narrates his escape to freedom, and states that when he started he adopted the motto "Trust no man" and that he "saw in every white man an enemy, and in almost every colored man cause for distrust" (Douglass).