COLLEGE OF SOUTHERN NEVADA

Assignment for course: PSC

101- Intro to American Politics

Submitted to: Dr. Earnest N. Bracey

Submitted By: Montserrat Navarro

5003872063

1649 Mexican Poppy st.

702 406 8845

Date of submission: April 29, 2021

Title of Assignment: An Evening with Frederick Douglass, A Play in Two Acts.

CERTIFICATION OF AUTHORSHIP: I certify that I am the author of this paper and that any

assistance I received in its preparation is fully acknowledged and disclosed in the paper. I have

also cited any sources from which I used date, ideas, or words, either quoted or directly or

paraphrased. I also certify that this paper was prepared by me specifically for this course.

Student Signature:
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Bracey, E. N. (2019). An evening with Frederick Douglass: a play in two acts. Archway

Publishing.

The story, An Evening with Frederick Douglass, a Play in Two Acts, is centered around

runaway Frederick Douglass. The author, Earnest A. Bracey created a two-part play posing as

Frederick himself to show the extreme hardships he overcame to become the greatest abolitionist

of his time. He fought against white supremacy and helped liberate former black slaves. Dr.

Earnest Bracey, an African American history professor shares the facts and highlights of

Frederick’s life in an attempt to teach his lesson and give a more creative way of looking at

things.

Act I begins with the background history of Frederick Douglass. The perspective of the

story changes into a solo play performance. From here, the author speaks as if he was Frederick

himself. Right away, he explains his mother is a slave and his father is a white man, though he

doesn’t know for sure who his father is, he believes it’s his master. This demonstrates the type of

manipulation black Americans were faced with. Frederick explains how he was given the “slave

name” of Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey. The next line then foreshadows his name

change.

Douglass was considered gifted because he learned to read and write. Today, reading and

writing is taught to all diversities, this gives the reader a great perspective of how such a

privilege was not allowed to black Americans. He “wanted to know things so badly” and taught
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himself to read and write in which he mentions that “learning to read changed my life” (Bracey,

p 28).

By the age of sixteen, Frederick taught a small school which included teaching black slaves to

read and write. Eventually, angry white men broke up his endeavor with sticks and stones. Slaves

were put to death for learning to read or write. As the reader, it’s unfortunate how we read every

single day, whether it’s signs, directions, recipes, etc. to be killed for knowing how to read or

write is devastating. This part of the play shows how white people really wanted to suppress and

limit black American’s freedom. He explains how he was sent to “Old Master” or Edward

Covey, for taming because no one else knew what to do with him for disobedience. Frederick

was beaten severely and overworked. One time he fainted and Covey beat the hell out of him.

After asking his former master to take him back and Old Master ordering him back, Frederick

decided to fight back. The next time Old Master tried to beat him, he fought back real hard. This

part of the act showed how much this bravery and courage this man had to hurt back the man

with “all the power”. Instead of killing him, Covey overworked him and starved him. Frederick

felt proud to have regained his manhood. When he started working in the shipyard, white men

would spit on him and kick him out of pure meanness and racism for the mere fact that a black

man was working beside him. The paragraph ends with “But I knew then that some whites would

never accept me simply because of the color of my skin and my status as a slave”. This line

really defined racism in the play all together. This line made me feel angry at the injustice

behavior that black Americans faced, simply because of one’s skin complexion, something that

no amount of money or miracle could change. For he did not choose to be black, white, mexican,

etc.
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On September 3, 1838, Frederick alas escaped as a 21 year old to New York. He

disguised himself as a sailor and made it to America through a boat and a train. The simple detail

of him being 21 years old speaks out to the target audience. It is a relatable detail that is nearly

unimaginable. I’m a 21 year old writing a book report for class while drinking my coffee and

worrying about my next exam and graduation so I can become a successful student…..

Meanwhile Frederick at that same age is getting beaten, fighting back, crossing the seas and

escaping white men. It’s unimaginable! To only be 21 years old and have gone through that

amount of physical and mental trauma is a very selective detail that leaves the reader with

empathy for what this man has gone through. Brilliant.

Frederick was on a mission to escape his terrible enslavement. Shortly after his escape he

fell in love and got married. His wife sold all his belongings to help him escape and he loved her

so dearly. The topic of love is very relatable, it’s one of the most relatable conversations you can

have. Going back to the beginning of act Act I, by 1841, Frederick decided to change his last

name to Douglass to escape being caught by slave catchers.

Frederick Douglass only gained more courage from here. He found his political voice

when he gave a speech at the Negro congregation. Douglass began giving speeches about his life

story and spoke for the entire black race. After a few months, he consented to be a speaker for

the Massachusettes Anti-Slavery Society. By 1845 his first autobiography was purchased selling

over 40,000 copies. He became somewhat of a celebrity around this time and he felt happy to be

so accomplished. Though the play begins with several downfalls Frederick had to face, he

succeeded at being a brave leader. But too much exposure caused him to leave his wife and kids

to hide from being recaptured. He spent 21 months in England and Ireland giving lectures and

speaking out against women’s rights. This part of the book shows the reader how Frederick had a
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heart, not only did he want white men to stop torturing people of different skin color, but he

wanted fairness and justice for the country that let him down multiple times. Boldly, he returned

to America when he discovered his youngest daughter’s death. And if things couldn’t get worse,

on September 18, 1850 President Millad Fillmore signed the Fugitive Slave law which allowed

the arrest of any slaves that escaped. Black slaves couldn’t ask for a jury trial which meant

“nothing could stop the intrepid train to freedom.” (Bracey, P 43) Every white man who captured

a slave was entitled to fee. Greedy white men would lie about who their slave was. To say the

least, Blacks fled overnight to Canada, no black American felt safe in his own country.

Act II leads the reader off into different opinions Frederick has such as wanting Abraham

Lincoln to win the presidency but not agreeing with the fact that Lincoln tried preventing

southern states from withdrawing from the union by allowing them to keep their black slaves.

The author leads that sentence with one simple word: “What?” This one word helps the reader

understand Frederick’s mindset by using a rhetorical question. Frederick continues to educate his

audience on the Emancipation Proclamation and how he “welcomed” the Civil War in 1861.

Because he advocated for black American rights, he made an attempt to get the United States to

enlist Negro troops to fight in the Civil war. And so they fought. He went on to fight for full

voting rights and for racial integration in schools and public areas. He uses the term “agitate”

when referring to fighting for his rights. It shows the reader the sense of desperation and soul he

had for what he strongly believed in. Act II finishes off by explaining all of Douglass’

accomplishments such as becoming a member of the Territorial Council of the Federal District,

Recorder of Deeds, becoming a Minister or Representative to Haiti, served as a Secretary of the

Santo Domingo commission, and also as a Marshal of the District of Columbia. The list doesn't

end there, he also remarried to a white woman after his wife’s death. This created a battlefield
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towards his new wife’s abolitionist father and Frederick’s family. He continued to fight for what

he believed in and demonstrated the struggles blacks had to achieve just to maintain their

freedom. The play ends with him singing “Get Off the Track”.

The author made a creative way to portray the struggles of black Americans. One thing

that really stood out to me was I began catching myself reading in first person during this play

and relating and feeling empathy towards Frederick. The author made his point clear. I have read

a few other styles of Earnest A. Bracey’s narratives and I must say, this one is by far my favorite.

The organization of the book was easy to follow along by having an introduction, two parts of

the play and the epilogue. The beginning of Act I really had me intrigued and amazed at all the

challenges he faced at my age! The book was edited carefully and you can tell the author really

knew what he was talking about because he stepped into the shoes of an amazing leader and

really played out his life.

Author, Earnest A. Bracey, brings the reader in leaving them with culture shock, How

can people be so cruel? African Americans literally fought for the same freedom whites dusted

off their shoulders. This should never be forgotten. The play really makes you feel as though you

are a part of a movement. The anger starts to build up inside you because as you read along you

begin to have sympathy… then you begin to question why this is happening to him, and alas,

anger to want to fight for the same justice and equal rights that Frederick was fighting his life

for. In my previous history classes I learned briefly about the Civil War and what African

Americans faced, I wasn’t aware of the Fugitive Slave Law and how it became a PRIZE if you

picked up a black man off the street and claimed him as your slave. The play was written in a

way that lecture and entertainment was crossed together. I couldn’t stop reading after the first

pages of Act I. I was surprised to learn all about the struggles that not only Frederick Douglass
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faced, but his community. What a great book to end the semester! I would definitely recommend

this to my friends and family so we can all continue to advocate for black American’s rights.