Notions of Manhood in Frederick Douglass and Thoreau

As a white man of a privileged class, Thoreau might be expected to have drastically different views on manhood than Douglass, a former slave, would have. However, both men share the notion that a man should live according to principles which are based on self-respect, respect for others, a love for God, and respect for the natural world. Both men would deny true manhood to any man who supports or defends slavery, or any institution or action which steals from a human being his or her God-given freedom and dignity.

There is little sign of manhood in the opening pages of Douglass' autobiography. There are slaves who have their manhood stripped from them by the horrors of slavery, and there are slaveowners who commit those horrors which strip themselves of their manhood.

It is clear that in Douglass' view those who are shaped by slavery---either as slaves or as slaveowners---together suffer the "dehumanizing character of slavery" (Douglass 1945). In other words, they suffer the loss of their very humannes

. . .
the situation of Douglass himself as a slave on a journey toward freedom, beginning with education, and continuing with a lifelong struggle to control one's own destiny in the context of God's will. Douglass writes of one relatively good master who was "the best master I ever had, till I became my own master" (Douglass 1975). No person can be fully human, can truly have his manhood, until he is free to choose how to live. Even further, Douglass declares that the slave who wishes to regain his manhood must be willing to take great risks, even to die: In coming to a fixed determination to run away, we did more than Patrick Henry, when he resolved upon liberty or death. With us it was a doubtful liberty at most, and almost certain death if we failed. for my part, i should prefer death to hopeless bondage (Douglass 1976). Indeed, finding freedom at last, Douglass argues that the slave appreciates freedom more than the always free man, for the recovery of one's manhood, of one's humanity, after having not had it for so long, is sweeter than having had it all along: "It was a happy moment, the rapture of which can be understood only by those who have been slaves" (Douglass 1990). Not being a slave and being a fully free man wi
. . .

Some common words found in the essay are:
Thoreau Thoreau, Thoreau Resistance, Resistance Civil, Patrick Henry, God's Douglass, Thoreau Walden, North Thoreau, WW Norton, Nina Baym, thoreau resistance, , ed nina baym, york ww norton, thoreau writes, norton 1994, ww norton, york ww, al york, al york ww, et al, et al york, baym et, nina baym et, american literature, anthology american,
Approximate Word count = 1643
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page)