Melanie Dong

Pd 5

Process Paper

I chose Frederick Douglass as the topic of my NHD project because I had found

him extremely inspirational while we were learning about slavery, the Civil War,

Reconstruction, and womens rights in history class. There were not many individuals

who dedicated their life to so many different movements, and had lived through such a

horrific crime like slavery. I had looked at many people who took a stand in history, and

even though there were quite a few, Frederick Douglass stood out because of his

unique past and his intense dedication to fighting for equal rights for African Americans

and women.

I conducted my research by first visiting my school library, where I found

Frederick Douglass autobiography, Life and Times of Frederick Douglass. This book

gave me extensive knowledge on Douglass life and how he fought for equality. I then

visited my county library, where I checked out several books about Douglass life in

order to gather more information. Finally, I looked on multiple databases, which were

where I got most of my primary sources. The most useful databases were American

Virtual Reference Library. There, I found many speeches given by

History and Gale

Frederick Douglass and editorials of his newspapers, including the North Star. I also

found many images of Frederick Douglass on databases, such as photographs and

engravings of Douglass writing his newspapers and attending meetings.

 There were many different kinds of ways I could present my topic, but I chose

website because it is the most interactive way to present. I made sure to include

extensive background information about things such as the Civil War, the

Reconstruction Era, and womens rights so that the viewers can understand what

Frederick Douglass was fighting for and get knowledge of the time period. I then

included how Douglass fought for different movements, such as anti-slavery, civil rights,

military rights, and womens rights. I made sure to include many pictures of both

Frederick Douglass and the movements he was involved in. I also included a page of

the legacy he left, which included many of the things that were created in his honor,

such as statues and medallions, as well as buildings named after him.

Frederick Douglass matches the theme of taking a stand in history perfectly

because of his courage and bravery in publicly speaking his opinions and thoughts,

which were considered very controversial at the time. He took a stand against injustice

towards African Americans and women, and challenged discrimination everywhere he

went. Even though many people of his time strongly disagreed with his opinions, he

never stopped speaking and writing about what he believed in. Due to his refusal to

accept injustice and prejudice, the future of countless individuals would be forever

changed.