Douglass, Frederick. Frederick Douglass Papers: Financial Papers, 1847–1928; Bank books. Manuscript/Mixed Material. https://www.loc.gov/item/mss1187900887/.
The Frederick Douglass Papers: Financial Papers, 1847–1928; Bank books reveal the monetary stability of one of the most well-known African American leaders in history. These documents provide a tangible connection between Douglass’s activism and his hands-on approach to economic resilience. They further demonstrate how he attained and preserved financial independence in the face of institutionalized racial hurdles. Therefore, they are useful for the curriculum. These publications link history, economics, and civic duty in the classroom and are used as a tool for interdisciplinary learning. They assist students in investigating more general topics such as the historical obstacles African Americans have encountered in obtaining fair economic opportunities and the role that financial literacy plays in empowerment. Additionally, this primary source promotes critical thinking and conversation about the ways in which personal financial habits might interact with more general social and political movements.
The bank books and financial transactions of Frederick Douglass from 1847 to 1928 are documented in the Frederick Douglass Financial Papers. These documents include a thorough description of Douglass's financial activities, including deposits, withdrawals, and outlays, and shed light on how he handled his money during a period when institutional prejudice against African Americans was severe. The bank records demonstrate Douglass's financial autonomy and the part that economic stability played in enabling his writing, public speaking, and campaigning. As a primary source, they provide a distinctive viewpoint on the relationship between racial fairness, personal money, and historical background, presenting Douglass as both a leader and a person negotiating the financial structures of his day.
A unique look into Frederick Douglass’s financial dealings and personal finances may be gained from his bank books. These documents demonstrate his status as a competent and financially independent individual during a time when African Americans encountered major structural obstacles to economic justice.
- How is a bank book supposed to be used?
- What can be learned about African Americans' access to economic possibilities during Frederick Douglass's lifetime from these bank records?
- What possible effects would Douglass's financial independence have had on his capacity to promote political and social change?
- What similarities exist between Douglass's economic struggles and those that underprivileged populations confront today?
- What other research or studies on Douglass's life and legacy may be prompted by these bank books?
Louisiana State Standards
W.11-12.1(a): Introduce precise, knowledgeable claim(s), establish the significance of the claim(s), distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and create an organization that logically sequences claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.
- Students might make conclusions about Douglass's economic tactics or his involvement during the Reconstruction era by examining his financial records. One may argue, for instance, that Douglass made calculated real estate investments to fund his abolitionist activities or that his financial choices were crucial in advancing his support of African American rights.
WH.1 Analyze ideas and events in world history from 1300 to 2010 and how they progressed, changed, or remained the same over time.
- The abolitionist movement, the economic effects of slavery, and Reconstruction are only a few of the topics covered in Douglass's financial documents. By analyzing how Douglass's writings impacted not just American history but also more general worldwide movements for equality and freedom, students may investigate the wider implications of these concepts. Douglass's investments are intertwined with the worldwide economic upheavals and the emergence of abolitionist movements that occurred.
WH.4 Use a variety of primary and secondary sources to:
- Analyze social studies content.
- Evaluate claims, counterclaims, and evidence.
- Compare and contrast multiple sources and accounts.
- Explain how the availability of sources affects historical interpretations
- Students can assess historical assertions regarding Douglass's involvement in the abolitionist movement and his post–Civil War initiatives by looking at his financial documents. For instance, they might examine assertions that Douglass was only an activist or that his political goals had nothing to do with his financial success. The financial records might then be used as proof by the students to either confirm or deny these assertions. By doing this, they will discover that interpreting the past frequently entails weighing opposing arguments and supporting data.
- Assist students in looking at entries, spotting trends, and comprehending the historical background of Douglass's financial records by using the Library of Congress Primary Source Analysis Tool here: https://www.loc.gov/programs/teachers/getting-started-with-primary-sources/guides/
- Incorporate history with economics by assigning students to examine Douglass's financial dealings in addition to teaching them about banking institutions from the nineteenth century and the difficulties African Americans faced in the economy.
- Ask students to make an infographic or presentation that highlights the principles of self-sufficiency and perseverance by contrasting Douglass's financial tactics with the difficulties underprivileged populations face today.
- Some students may find it challenging to understand the technical distinctions in the financial records if they are unfamiliar with the banking and economic systems of the nineteenth century.
- Some families or community members may find it awkward or disagreeable to talk about racist systems, economic discrimination, and the historical financial difficulties that African Americans have encountered.
- Personal financial records may not always be relevant to larger historical narratives, especially if they only discuss Douglass's advocacy efforts and not his own wealth.
- Students may experience intense emotional reactions when they learn about the systemic oppression that African Americans endured throughout Douglass's lifetime and how it relates to current problems.
- Frederick Douglass Papers: Diary, 1886–1894; Tour of Europe and Africa, 1886–1894: These are part of the same collection of papers, with a different focus, but still in Douglass’s own words.
- Image 1 of The North star (Rochester, N.Y.), July 4, 1850: The newspaper that Frederick Douglass wrote for in New York.
- Race: The Power of an Illusion. This documentary series will help viewers frame the social construct of race. https://www.racepowerofanillusion.org/
- Mapping Inequality: Redlining in New Deal America. This resource provides viewers with maps and explanations of redlining, specifically in the 1930s and the 1940s. https://dsl.richmond.edu/panorama/redlining/
- Up from Slavery: The Original 1901 Edition (The Autobiography Classics of Booker T. Washington)Washington's economic worldview is highlighted in this autobiography, which emphasizes self-reliance and vocational training as means of empowering African Americans.Up from Slavery: The Original 1901 Edition (The Autobiography Classics of Booker T. Washington)
- A Red Record. Tabulated Statistics and Alleged Causes of Lynchings in the United States, 1892-1893-1894. This study links financial exploitation to larger systemic racism by documenting the social and economic inequities that African Americans experience: Ida B. Wells’s A Red Record | The New York Public Library.
- “The Talented Tenth” by W. E. B. Du Bois. An article that presents an alternative viewpoint to Washington's theories and promotes higher education and leadership among African Americans: The Talented Tenth | Teaching American History.