 
Assembly Resolution No. 1215
 
BY: M. of A. Gantt
 
        CELEBRATING  the  Bicentennial  of  the  birth  of
        Frederick  Douglass,  the   noted   African-American
        orator,  journalist, and anti-slavery leader who was
        a longtime resident of New York State
 
  WHEREAS, Born in  1818  as  Frederick  Augustus  Washington  Bailey,
Americans  celebrate  this great statesman's birth each year on February
14th; and
 
  WHEREAS, At the young age of 20, Frederick Douglass escaped slavery,
and moved to the northeastern part of the United States;  he  eventually
found sanctuary in Rochester, New York; and
 
  WHEREAS, In 1848, Frederick Douglass became a "stationmaster" on the
Underground  Railroad, where he helped hundreds of people escape slavery
through his home in Rochester; and
 
  WHEREAS, A great believer in women's  suffrage,  Frederick  Douglass
participated  in  the  First Women's Rights Convention, in Seneca Falls,
New York, on July 19, 1848; and
 
  WHEREAS, On December 3, 1847,  Frederick  Douglass  established  The
North  Star,  an  abolitionist  newspaper  based  out  of Rochester; the
four-page weekly publication gained notoriety amongst  the  abolitionist
movement, despite facing local backlash with the New York Herald; and
 
  WHEREAS,  Eventually  The  North  Star merged with the Liberty Party
Paper to form  Frederick  Douglass'  Paper  in  1851;  the  anti-slavery
newspaper ran until 1860; and
 
  WHEREAS, During the American Civil War, Frederick Douglass served as
a consultant to President Abraham Lincoln; through this position, he was
instrumental in African Americans being granted the right to vote; and
 
  WHEREAS,  In  March of 1874, Frederick Douglass became the President
of Freedman's Savings and Trust Company; three years later, he  was  the
first  African American appointed to the title of United States Marshall
of the District of Columbia; and
 
  WHEREAS,  Frederick  Douglass'  works  are  considered  classics  of
American  autobiography; his memoir, Narrative of the Life of Frederick,
an American Slave, was influential in fueling the abolitionist  movement
in America; and
 
  WHEREAS,  He  published  two more autobiographies, My Bondage and My
Freedom in 1855, and Life and Times of Frederick Douglass in 1881; and
 
  WHEREAS, In addition to his writing skills, Frederick Douglass was a
brilliant orator who famously offered powerful words on the equality  of
people,  whether black, female or Native American; his passionate 4th of
July speech, "The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro" was delivered at
an event organized by the Rochester Anti-Slavery Sewing Society on  July
5, 1852; and
 
 
  WHEREAS,  The well-known speech was later distributed as a pamphlet,
and is still studied in literature classes today; some people regard  it
as the greatest anti-slavery oration ever given; and
 
  WHEREAS, A true social reformer, Frederick Douglass died on February
20,  1895,  in  Washington,  D.C.;  funeral  services  were  held in the
Rochester Central Presbyterian Church in Rochester, and he was buried in
Mount Hope Cemetery, Rochester; and
 
  WHEREAS, The City of Rochester  proclaimed  2018  as  "The  Year  of
Frederick  Douglass,"  encouraging  the  entire  community  to  join  in
celebration  of  the  life  and  legacy  of  Rochester's  favorite  son,
legendary social reformer Frederick Douglass; and
 
  WHEREAS,  It  is  important  to recall and honor individuals such as
Frederick  Douglass,  longtime  New  York  State   resident,   fittingly
recognizing  their valued contributions and publicly acknowledging their
endeavors which have enhanced the basic  humanity  among  us  all;  now,
therefore, be it
 
  RESOLVED,  That  this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
celebrate the Bicentennial of the birth of Frederick Douglass, the noted
African-American orator, journalist, and anti-slavery leader who  was  a
longtime resident of New York State.
Celebrating the Bicentennial of the birth of Frederick Douglass

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