''Frederick Douglass and the White Negro'' is a documentary telling the story of ex-slave, abolitionist, writer and politician

Frederick Douglass Frederick Douglass (born Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey, February 1817 or 1818 – February 20, 1895) was an American social reformer, abolitionist, orator, writer, and statesman. After escaping from slavery in Maryland, he became ...

and his escape to Ireland from America in the 1840s.

Synopsis

The film follows Douglass's life from slavery as a young man through to his time in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

, where he befriended

Daniel O'Connell Daniel O'Connell (I) ( ga, Dónall Ó Conaill; 6 August 1775 – 15 May 1847), hailed in his time as The Liberator, was the acknowledged political leader of Ireland's Roman Catholic majority in the first half of the 19th century. His mobilizat ...

, toured the country spreading the message of

abolition Abolition refers to the act of putting an end to something by law, and may refer to: * Abolitionism, abolition of slavery * Abolition of the death penalty, also called capital punishment * Abolition of monarchy *Abolition of nuclear weapons *Abol ...

and was treated as a human being for the first time by white people. His arrival in Ireland coincided with the Great Famine, and he witnessed white people in what he considered to be a worse state than his fellow

Black Americans African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

back in the US. The film follows Douglass back to America, where he buys his freedom with funds raised in Ireland and Britain. Fellow passengers on his return journey include the Irish escaping the famine who arrived in their millions and would go on to play a major role in the

New York Draft Riot The New York City draft riots (July 13–16, 1863), sometimes referred to as the Manhattan draft riots and known at the time as Draft Week, were violent disturbances in Lower Manhattan, widely regarded as the culmination of white working-cl ...

of 1863, which Douglass could only despair over. The film examines (with contributions from the author of ''How The Irish Became White''

Noel Ignatiev Noel Ignatiev (; December 27, 1940 – November 9, 2019) was an American author and historian. He was best known for his theories on race and for his call to abolish " whiteness". Ignatiev was the co-founder of the New Abolitionist Society and c ...

amongst others) the turbulent relationship between

African Americans African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

and Irish Americans during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

, what drew them together and what drove them apart and how this would shape the America of the twentieth century and beyond.

References

External links

''Frederick Douglass and the White Negro'' official site
* 1845 in Ireland 2008 documentary films 2008 films African Americans in the American Civil War Cultural depictions of Frederick Douglass Documentary films about African Americans Documentary films about slavery Documentary films about slavery in the United States Irish documentary films Films about activists Films about famine Films about race and ethnicity Films set in New York City Films set in the 1840s Films set in the 1860s Films set in the 19th century Massachusetts in the American Civil War Documentary films about the American Civil War English-language Irish films Irish-American mass media Irish diaspora Irish-language films Films set in the Victorian era War films based on actual events Works about the Great Famine (Ireland) 2000s English-language films 2000s American films {{AmericanCivilWar-documentary-film-stub

Synopsis

See also

References

External links