Why did Frederick Douglass continue fighting after Lincoln freed the slaves?

Answer 1

Frederick Douglass continued to fight because blacks were free on paper but not in the minds of the majority of Americans. They were no longer slaves, but it took many years to break down stereotypes and discrimination barriers, many of which we still deal with today. Just because there was an Emancipation Proclamation, doesn't mean every American totally agreed with it. Blacks were "free" but not equal. They still struggled to have a characteristic essential to equality, a voice. The voice in the form of a vote, he wanted blacks to have a say in the decision making process and to have that vote counted equally to any other free man, white or black. He was still a victim of racism and it was suspected that the burning down of his house was due to arson. Hate was still very much alive in America. You see, he took an active role in the betterment of black people, it was not a change that happened over night. Also, he fought for freedom and equality most of his life, and it would be an injustice for him to stop, blacks were "free" in a sense that they were no longer slaves, but he still had the energy and the fight in him be the champion for equality. He not only fought for black people but also a firm believe that all people were equal whether black, white, man or woman.