Today in History—August 29: What Frederick Douglass Wrote to Harriet Tubman

By 1868 Frederick Douglass was a celebrity. Harriet Tubman was not. He was famous. She’d saved hundreds of lives.

She had a formidable local reputation for leading enslaved people to freedom on the Underground Railroad and serving the Union during the Civil War.

But unlike Douglass—whose speeches and writings had already made him an internationally known abolitionist—Tubman had done much of her work in secret.

Discover the fascinating events that shaped the world, straight from our editors.

SIGN UP

By clicking “Sign Up”, you consent to the Britannica Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

That year writer Sarah H. Bradford began preparing a biography of Tubman to tell her story and, in part, help ease the financial difficulties Tubman faced after the war. Proceeds from the book were intended to help Tubman pay her debts and save her home in New York.

Tubman asked Douglass to write a letter endorsing her character and accomplishments for inclusion in the book. His response on August 29 began unexpectedly: “You ask for what you do not need.”

Douglass believed that Tubman’s record could speak for itself.

Both had devoted themselves to the fight against slavery, but their work had unfolded in very different ways. Douglass’s activism had largely taken place in public, bringing him the “applause of the crowd.” Tubman, meanwhile, had repeatedly risked capture while secretly returning South to guide others to freedom. And during the Civil War, Tubman had served the Union as a nurse and spy and even helped lead an armed raid in South Carolina that liberated more than 700 enslaved people.

“I have wrought in the day—you in the night,” Douglass wrote.

He ultimately gave Tubman the endorsement she sought, praising her character and extraordinary service. But his letter offered something even more powerful by telling her that he needed her commendation “far more” than she needed his.

Famous Birthdays

1632: John Locke—English philosopher

1920: Charlie “Bird” Parker—American jazz saxophonist

1923: Richard Attenborough—English actor, director, and producer

1958: Michael Jackson—American singer, songwriter, and dancer