Frederick Douglass' Defense of the Constitution
Edward O'Byrn, Assistant Professor of Philosophy and Africana Studies, Carleton College
Professor O'Byrn discusses Frederick Douglass' 1860's defense of the Constitution as an anti-slavery document. It references the fugitive slave aspects and 3/5th compromise. He also links Douglass to a long history of Black Americans utilizing the Constitution in a struggle for freedom, justice and equality.