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Sydney Ogude
Professor Donald Charlton
Leaders Who Changed Their Worlds
20 November 2020
Critical Analysis Essay
Frederick Douglass was a leader in the abolitionist movement and a former slave.
Frederick’s Douglass work helped change America’s views of slavery through his writings and
actions. to a lot of positive outcome but one specific outcome was his fight to end slavery. The life
of a slave was not easy as you may imagine but this never stopped Douglass. Douglass was able to
escape his life as a slave and dedicated the rest of his life to fight to abolish slavery, fight for civil
rights and also was a strong advocate for women rights. During his leadership Frederick Douglass
exhibited leadership approaches such as authentic leadership and adaptive leadership when it came
to educating people of all kind of the evils of slavery and also his ability to collaborate with
different people in order for him to help abolish slavery . Fredrick Douglass authentic leadership
paired with his adaptive leadership, his ability to to overcome tremendous challenges, his self belief
to never doubting himself, and his reluctance to always receive help when it arrived where all
essential elements that helped propel Douglass to became a leader in the abolitionist movement and
to help end the practice of slavery among other things.
Frederick Douglass is known to be one of the most important abolitionist of his era due to
his upbringing and the circumstances that he overcame but Douglass was not always a leader even
after escaping slavery. Fredrick decided to be abolitionist when he encountered William Lloyd
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garrison at an anti-slavery convention. Fredrick was always fond of garrison which is why he
traveled to go watch him give a speech at the convention. He said “ I not only liked l loved this
paper and its editor… its words for few and full of holy power”. This shows the admiration he had
for garrison prior to them meeting .Frederick instead got up to speak and after hearing his story
about the toutures of slavery garrison was impressed and knew he found the right guy. Garrison
advised Douglass to consider being an abolitionist. So as you can see it took a pivotal event for
douglass to begin this journey to one of the greatest abolitionists in history. This showcased his
authentic leadership according to Leadership: Theory and Practice it states “….views authentic
leadership as something that can be nurtured in a leader, rather than as a fixed trait. Authentic
leadership develops in people over a lifetime and can be triggered by major life events, such as a
severe illness or a new career.” The big event that changed douglass life was meeting Harrison
because if that encounter never came about, Douglas wouldn’t have become who he was. It also
states “authentic leadership as a pattern of leader behavior that develops from and is grounded in
the leader’s positive psychological qualities and strong ethics.” Douglass always had strong
grounded ethics and a positive mindset so he was essentially destined to be a leader. Douglass also
exhibited another leadership,
Douglass also showcased adaptive leadership. According to it states Leadership: Theory
and Practice “Although people often think of adaptive leadership as being leader centered, it is
actually more follower centered. It focuses primarily on how leaders help others do the work they
need to do, in order to adapt to the challenges they face”. Being an abolitionist Douglass
encountered many faces in which he worked with them because they all had the same goal in
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common which was to fight against the plague of slavery. Another thing associated with adaptive
leadership is “The practice of mobilizing people to tackle tough challenges and thrive.”
In 1843 douglass became part of the “Hundred Conventions” project an american anti- slavery
society. People that believed in the abolitionist movement came together and went on a six month
tour across the united states. This is adaptive leadership because he was part of group that were
fighting to to tackle slavery and end it. The group had to be organized and motivated for them to
succeed. In addition to this “Adaptive leaders engage in activities that mobilize, motivate, organize,
orient, and focus the attention of others” This can be seen in the hundred convention project.
Douglass also showcased leadership truths along with his authentic and adaptive
leadership. One of the leadership truths that Douglass that Douglass showcased was Truth 5 “ You
can’t do it alone”. This truth is showcased when Douglass escapes from slavery with the help of
his wife Anna murray-douglass. Anna was able to Douglass as a free black sailor in order for him
to escape. Douglass says in the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave “I
felt assured that if I failed in this attempt, my case would be a hopeless one. It would seal my fate
as a slave forever.”. Douglass was able to escape due to the role that his wife took. In the truth of
leadership it states “Leaders alone don’t make anything great. Leadership is a shared responsibility.
You need others, and they need you. You’re all in this together. To build and sustain that sense of
oneness, exemplary leaders are sensitive to the needs of others.” You need others if you look to
succeed in what you want. This can also be seen with douglass when he was still a slave. He
tricked the white boys into teaching him how to read. Douglass says “When I was sent on errands,
I always took my book with me, and by going one part of my errand quickly, I found time to get a
lesson before my return. I used also to carry bread with me….This bread I used to bestow upon the
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hungry little urchins, who, in return, would give me that more valuable bread of knowledge.” this
shows that douglass needed others in order for him to progress as a leader
The second leadership truth that Douglass showcased was truth 7 “Challenge is the
crucible for greatness” From his birth the odds were stacked against douglass. Being born into
slavery Douglass that was a challenge within itself. . He was not able to see his mom as a child and
was separated from grandama. He was subject to inhumane treatment while he was a slave, often
enduring long hours of labor with little to no sleep. Frederick was also witness to brutal acts
inflicted on fellow slaves. Douglass recalls how his own aunt was often prey to these whippings.
He says it “struck me with awful force. It was the blood-stained gate, the entrance to the hell of
slavery, through which I was about to pass. It was a terrible spectacle. I wish I could commit to
paper the feelings with which I beheld it.” People exposed to such violence and being able to cope
with life is a miracle within itself. In the truth of leadership it states “Challenges cause you to come
face-to-face with yourself. They are rather harsh ways of reminding you of what’s important, what
you value, and where you want to go. Many people have experienced life-threatening, even
torturous circumstances, and have found ways to turn them into tests of strength and
determination.” When douglass was going through the turmoil that was slavery he never gave up
because he always believed that he would one day escape. Instead of giving up when times got
tough he learned to endure it. It also states “To be a leader you need to make something happen.
You need to feel a strong sense of commitment, believing that you can find something in whatever
you are doing that is interesting, important, or worthwhile.” Douglass escaped slavery and made
something happen out of himself. He dedicated his lives work to abolish the evils of slavery
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The 3rd truth that douglass exhibited was Truth 1 “You make a difference”. Before you can
lead others, you have to lead yourself and believe that you can have a positive impact on others.
You have to believe that your words can inspire and your actions can move others. This is what
Douglass had to do in order to be successful. His words were known to move the audience.
According to fee.org it states “An American observer recalled Douglass’s presence as a speaker:
“He was more than six feet in height, and his majestic form, as he rose to speak, straight as an
arrow, muscular, yet lithe and graceful, his flashing eye, and more than all, his voice, that rivaled
Webster’s in its richness, and in the depth and sonorousness of its cadences, made up such an ideal
of an orator as the listeners never forgot.” Douglass was meant to be a speaker due to the effect he
had on the audience. In the truth of leadership it states “ By believing in yourself and in your
capacity to lead, you open yourself to hearing the call. You open yourself to making a difference in
the world.” Douglass believing in himself day in and day out allowed him to have the success that
he did.
In conclusion Fredrick Douglass Fredrick Douglass authentic leadership paired with his
adaptive leadership, his ability to to overcome tremendous challenges, his self belief to never
doubting himself, and his reluctance to always receive help when it arrived where all essential
elements that helped propel douglass to became a leader in the abolitionist movement and to help
end the practice of slavery among other things. He worked well with people and was able to move
others with his words especially and it came to the evils of slavery. Douglass’s work for the
abolishment of slavery wil never be forgotten
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Work cited
Powell, Jim. “Frederick Douglass: Heroic Orator for Liberty: Jim Powell.” FEE Freeman
Article, Foundation for Economic Education, 1 Feb. 1997,
fee.org/articles/frederick-douglass-heroic-orator-for-liberty.
Douglass, Frederick, 1818-1895. Narrative Of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave.
Boston :Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2003.
Northouse, Peter Guy. Leadership: Theory and Practice. Seventh edition. Los Angeles: SAGE
Publications, Inc, 2015. Print.
Kouzes, James M., and Barry Z. Posner. The Truth about Leadership: the No-Fads,
Heart-of-the-Matter Facts You Need to Know. Jossey-Bass, 2010.
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