Context is for the weak

[james_davis_nicoll]

Even I know the difference between Stephen Douglas and Frederick Douglass.

Somewhere a Fox news editor's history teacher is weeping.

Comments

[james-nicoll.livejournal.com]

Lincoln-Douglas debates of 1858 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincoln-Douglas_debates_of_1858)


Mind you, the odds are pretty good that I first heard about them from a SCTV sketch or some other source of equal solemnity.

[autopope.livejournal.com]

Right. The school history syllabus I was subjected to was much more obsessed with the Schleswig-Holstein Question (and Answers Thereto), probably because of its more immediate historical impact, and I will confess to not having subsequently studied 19th century US history.

But who's the other Douglas guy, this Stephen?

[argonel.livejournal.com]

I agree, who is this Stephen Douglas? As an american should I even care?

[tekalynn.livejournal.com]

Stephen A. Douglas: prominent mid-nineteenth century politician, today almost exclusively remembered for being the "Douglas" of the Lincoln-Douglas debates.

[matgb]

Stephen covered above, Fred was a freed slave and activist who did a lot of "look, we don't eat people" style campaigning in the north. Top bloke.

If you're interested in learning a bit more, can I recommend one of my favourite books? Dead good on covering all the bases, even the clost liberal-socialist nature of some of the early Republican party (esp Lincoln).

[mjlayman.livejournal.com]

And we have The Frederick Douglas House Historic Site here in DC. It has a lot of his stuff and explains about what he did. There was a recent foofooraw because historians finally found out what color the house was painted when he lived there, and painted it that, and the neighbors don't like it.

[redknight.livejournal.com]

"Page Not Found I'm sorry that page could not be found, but you may want to try the NPS homepage here http://www.nps.gov."

Apparently the neighbors hated it so much that they even got the web page taken down! :-)

[mjlayman.livejournal.com]

I clicked on the link and it worked for me. Maybe you should try again.

[redknight.livejournal.com]

It's much happier (working) now.