There are many stories in history that we should tremble to learn. The tragic horrors of humanity’s deprivation often lurk just beneath the surface of society. But when someone steps forward to tell the story of our sins, it’s time to listen. And in the 19th century, one man did. Hi, my name is Gabe Bauer and this is Top Shelf History, where we combine great stories with great drinks.
This is The Freeman. It is the cocktail I have made for you today based on the life of Frederick Douglass, an American slave who found both freedom and a way to be a voice for the voiceless.
Frederick Douglass was born into slavery in Maryland in 1818. The exact date is unknown to him, but his early life was rife with suffering. First, he was separated from his mother and left to be raised by his grandmother, until she was taken from him as well. At the age of six, he was moved to the Wye house to work before he was given to the Auld family who sent him to Baltimore. It was in Baltimore that he got his first taste of education when Sophia Auld taught him the alphabet. It was short-lived, though, when Sophia’s husband, Hugh, found out and commanded her to stop. But while Sophia would be stopped, Frederick wouldn’t be. He continued to educate both himself and his fellow slaves.
Angered that Frederick refused to heed his command to cease his education, the Aulds sent him to work at the Covey farm for Edward Covey. Edward Covey was a brutal man who had no issue beating his slaves, and now, Frederick was one of them. He was whipped almost daily. It was hell on earth. But somehow, despite it all, Frederick was able to retain his dignity. He wasn’t meant to be a slave. And he knew it. In one of his autobiographies, he wrote, “From my earliest recollection, I date the entertainment of a deep conviction that slavery would not always be able to hold me within its foul embrace; and in the darkest hours of my career in slavery, this living word of faith and spirit of hope departed not from me, but remained like ministering angels to cheer me through the gloom.”
In 1838, around the age of 20, Frederick escaped the Covey farm and made his way to New York, found refuge with abolitionist David Ruggles, and began a new life. He got married. He continued his education. He started to write. He joined the abolitionists and fought to end slavery in America. His work was impactful to say the least.
Unsurprisingly, he quickly became a key figure in the abolitionist movement. As quickly as he earned the respect of the abolitionists, he earned the ire of the slaveholders. In Pendleton, Indiana in 1843, while on a speech tour throughout the nation called the “Hundred Conventions Project,” Frederick was attacked. His hand was broken so severely that its functionality was never fully restored. But Frederick was used to being attacked by slaveholders. It didn’t deter him. He pressed on with the same fire that brought him out of slavery and to the podium.
While the Civil War raged, Frederick passionately promoted equality for all black people. He even got in a spat with Abraham Lincoln after it ended for not granting full equality in the eyes of the law after passing the Emancipation Proclamation (although it is said that he relented a bit after the passing of the 13, 14, and 15 amendments).
Following the War, he stayed active in political life, continuing to fight for liberty. When he wasn’t advocating for full equality for black Americans, he was making appearances as a staunch supporter of women’s suffrage. He died on February 20, 1895.
Despite all the odds stacked against him, Frederick Douglass lived a life of great vision and great passion. And so today, we honor him the best way we can, with a drink.
