“‘Prophet’ means he was a voice in the 19th century, a voice like no other about America’s greatest problems-Civil War, slavery and the transformation of our Constitution.”īlight was quick to point out, that for all his attributes, Douglass also had his flaws, including a dysfunctional family. “I always felt like Douglass had a prophetic voice he was a wielder of words,” said Blight. And the Bible had a “profound effect” on Douglass’ words, which in turn, inspired Blight’s choice of book title. “There’s so much to learn from the past to help illuminate our present conditions, and to have one of our current leading historians tackle such a renowned American figure-it feels extra significant when we look out across our 2020 event series.”ĭouglass was known for expressing his rage with words rather than physical violence, Blight said. “We’re such fierce advocates for good books and stories here at the Scholar, but this one stands out as a must-see event,” Brubaker said. Alex Brubaker, the bookstore’s manager, calls Blight’s appearance an “exciting kickoff to Black History Month” and one of the highlights of the bookstore’s 2020 calendar. 1 during an appearance at Harrisburg’s Midtown Scholar Bookstore. It took him another six years to write “Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom,” which earned him the 2019 Pulitzer Prize in history.Īrea history and book lovers have the opportunity to hear and meet Blight on Feb.
At the beginning, he used a flip phone to take photos and transcribe hundreds of pages of information. “At the core of this collection were nine Douglass family scrapbooks kept by his sons during the last third of Douglass’ life…They were stunning in their scale.”īlight visited Evans’ dining room table as often as he could for about six years, pouring over the previously undiscovered material.
“I realized this was an, ‘Oh my God moment,’” Blight recalled. A historical artifact collector, Evans spread a treasure trove of information about Douglass across his dining room table for Blight to examine. It’s all thanks to a man named Walter Evans, who Blight met during that visit. Douglass was considered an eloquent writer and orator whose words advocated for the abolishment of slavery and equality for all.īlight-a renowned historian, professor and director of the Gilder Lehrman Center for the Study of Slavery, Resistance and Abolition at Yale University-has written or edited a dozen books and garnered numerous accolades.īut it wasn’t until a visit to Savannah, Ga., 12 years ago that he felt compelled to write a book that would become what’s now considered the definitive biography of Douglass.
Over the years, much of Blight’s work intersected with that of Douglass (1818–1895), a larger-than-life historical figure who escaped from slavery on Maryland’s Eastern Shore to rise to prominence as a civil rights leader. However, “some lives are, in a way, made for biography,” Blight said during a recent interview.
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Blight wrote his first book about Frederick Douglass 30 years ago and never dreamed there would be another-let alone a full biography.
Blight kicks off Black History Month in Harrisburg. A Voice for the Ages: Frederick Douglass biographer David W.
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