Frederick Douglass American abolitionist and author Frederick Douglass, daguerreotype made c. 1850 from a c. 1847 original. (more) An Appeal to Congress for Impartial Suffrage article by Frederick Douglass, primary source Ask the Chatbot a Question Ask the Chatbot a Question Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Last Updated: Nov 20, 2024 • Article History Table of Contents Table of Contents Ask the Chatbot a Question In late 1866 and early 1867 abolitionist, activist, and orator Frederick Douglass contributed two articles in The Atlantic Monthly. The first article, titled “Reconstruction” and published in December 1866, addressed recently elected Republican legislators. Acknowledging the challenges facing the nation, Douglass urged them to seize the moment—“the occasion demands statesmanship”—to right the historic wrongs of slavery and bring the formerly enslaved into the activities of the U.S. government as full citizens. The second article, “An Appeal to Congress for Impartial Suffrage,” published in January 1867, took his argument for civic participation one step further by focusing on the imperative to ...(100 of 4260 words)

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