To celebrate the bicentenary of Frederick Douglass’s birth in 2018, this new annotated edition of his classic autobiography shows how his insights on slavery, racism, and the pursuit of self-reliance are still highly relevant today in 21st-century America.

Frederick Douglass was a slave, then a free man. He was an abolitionist, a writer, and an orator who became a great social reformer and statesman. Perhaps even more important, he served as a powerful counter-example to white Americans who believed black people could not be their equals. Douglass dedicated his life to the pursuit of freedom and equality for not just African Americans, but for all people, of all races, male and female.

The Historian’s Narrative of Frederick Douglass: Reading Douglass’s Autobiography as Social and Cultural History covers the first decades of Frederick Douglass’s life, from his childhood through his escape from slavery in 1838 and his early years as a fiery abolitionist speaker in the North. The book provides readers with the necessary biographical and historical context to better understand and fully appreciate the Douglass’s classic memoir. Readers will learn about slavery, the abolitionist movement, efforts of resistance to slavery and escape from it, and the great importance of literacy in combating slavery. The book is written in accessible language that will engage high school and college students as well as general readers, but deals with challenging and provocative concepts.

Reveals the footprints of history throughout Douglass’s narrative via the accessible annotations-insights that would otherwise easily be missed by modern readers

Provides opening chapters that present critical historical background that few contemporary Americans know about, but is crucial for understanding the context of Douglass’s narrative

Addresses the concepts of racism and white privilege-two concepts that preside over Douglass’s book and are still at the center of American society-through Douglass’s writings and the events of his life

Includes numerous illustrations of Douglass and his world, adding further context to his autobiographical narrative