YSU SPEECH Civil rights pioneer Douglass lauded

The activist was an avid supporter of the Republican Party.
YOUNGSTOWN -- Abolitionist and women's rights activist Frederick Douglass was the father of the modern civil rights movement and the most influential black man of his time, Dr. John McKivigan said during a speech Thursday at YSU's Kilcawley Center.
McKivigan, who has served as project director for the Frederick Douglass Papers for 15 years, presented a speech titled "Frederick Douglass: Civil Rights Activist." The talk analyzed Douglass' life and highlighted his role regarding black rights after the Civil War.
McKivigan said that Douglass' refusal to be whipped by a known "slave-breaker" defined the activist's life because his humanity was recognized. Douglass eventually escaped slavery by pretending to be a black sailor. "He bluffed his way out of slavery," McKivigan said.
For the cause
Before the Civil War, Douglass worked actively as an abolitionist from his home in Rochester, N.Y. He printed publications in support of the abolition of slavery, served as a conductor on the Underground Railroad, risked his health in protests and developed a reputation as a motivational orator throughout the North. His tours included a stop in Youngstown in 1847.
After the 1862 Emancipation Proclamation, he became an avid supporter of the Republican party and held multiple government positions. McKivigan said that "by holding office, he was really serving his race."
After attending the famed 1848 Seneca Falls Convention, Douglass also supported the cause of women's suffrage until his death in 1895. Near the end of his life, Douglass widely toured the United States, speaking to the first generation of blacks to be born free of slavery. Among those who listened to the message and continued to pursue equality were Booker T. Washington, W.E.B. DuBois and, eventually, Martin Luther King, Jr.
Assistant professor of history Dr. Diane Barnes, who has served as an associate editor for the Frederick Douglass Papers project since 1998, said she invited McKivigan to speak in the hope that he would solidify students' perceptions of the foundation of the modern civil rights movement. As a founding part of that movement, Douglass is still an influential figure today, Barnes said.
One example of that impact is the effect of Douglass' life stories. YSU sophomore Eric Sabo, a mechanical engineering technology major, said he was impressed by Douglass' commitment and perseverance. "He worked hard for what he believed and did it every day of his life," Sabo said.
The Department of History and the Center for Historic Preservation sponsored the free lecture, which was open to the public.
Degree from OSU
McKivigan, a history professor at Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis, earned his doctorate from the Ohio State University in 1977 and began work on the Frederick Douglass Papers two years later. Although McKivigan claimed that the "benefits" of his position are "delayed gratification, bureaucratic oversight and failing eyesight," he said the position is his biggest accomplishment and that he learns from the Frederick Douglass Papers, which includes his speeches, autobiographies, letters, editorials and other essays. "He was the leading black intellectual of his time, but his message is still valid today," McKivigan said.
For more information about McKivigan and the Frederick Douglass Papers, visit www.iupui.edu/~douglass.