The Historian's Narrative of Frederick Douglass: Reading Douglass's Autobiography as Social and Cultural History

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. • 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