Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Introduction: Frederick Douglass and the Atlantic World
- 1 ‘The Republic of Letters’: Frederick Douglass, Ireland and the Irish Narratives
- 2 Friends and Allies: The Economics of the Text
- 3 An American Slave: Representing the Creole Self
- 4 The Hidden Ireland: Social Commentary and Public Witness
- 5 ‘Mask in Motion’: Dialect Spaces and Class Representation
- 6 Race, Civilization, Empire
- 7 Models of Progress: Ireland, Haiti and the Atlantic
- Conclusion
- Bibliography
- Index
2 - Friends and Allies: The Economics of the Text
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Introduction: Frederick Douglass and the Atlantic World
- 1 ‘The Republic of Letters’: Frederick Douglass, Ireland and the Irish Narratives
- 2 Friends and Allies: The Economics of the Text
- 3 An American Slave: Representing the Creole Self
- 4 The Hidden Ireland: Social Commentary and Public Witness
- 5 ‘Mask in Motion’: Dialect Spaces and Class Representation
- 6 Race, Civilization, Empire
- 7 Models of Progress: Ireland, Haiti and the Atlantic
- Conclusion
- Bibliography
- Index
Summary
Shortly after Frederick Douglass arrived in Ireland in September 1845, his autobiography, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave, was republished in Dublin by Webb and Chapman. The reasons for the republication were both dogmatic and economic. Aside from providing an opportunity for the dissemination of an antislavery argument of impact and importance, proceeds from the sale of the book provided Douglass with a degree of financial independence. While Douglass was in Europe, it was doubly important that he have an assured source of income with which to support himself and his family in the United States. Tours by US abolitionists in Europe were often used to promote and increase financial as well as moral support for the antislavery cause by encouraging contributions to anti-slavery bazaars and other fund-raising activities, but the out-of-pocket expenses of speakers on that circuit might not necessarily be met in full by anti-slavery organizations. In a letter to J.B. Estlin from London commenting on Douglass's UK tour, for example, W.L. Garrison observed, ‘As to … [Douglass's] means of support, he is chiefly dependent on the sale of his Narrative, but I believe he is at this time receiving a small stipend from the Edinburgh friends, though they do not defray his travelling expenses.’ Sales of the Narrative in Ireland significantly augmented Douglass's overseas returns, providing him with a sizeable income above and beyond payment for his immediate expenses.
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- Frederick Douglass and the Atlantic World , pp. 37 - 53Publisher: Liverpool University PressPrint publication year: 2007