On January 25, 1869, Frederick Douglass visited Gettysburg, where the formerly enslaved, self-emancipated activist, author, and lecturer delivered a speech in which he reflected upon the words spoken and deeds done on battlefields across the country during the “Abolition War” and the Reconstruction that followed. Through written word and commanding oratory, he brought meaning to the bloodletting of fallen United States soldiers and the martyred Abraham Lincoln, and placed the racial and political results of the war—constructive as well as destructive—within the context of world history.

Join Codie Eash as he explores the motivations for Douglass’s address, how it was received by those who heard it, and what it means in our collective memory today.

- FREE with General Museum Admission -

Lydia Ziegler Clare Education Center

Seminary Ridge Museum and Education Center