Gov. Ron DeSantis unveiled a statue of civil rights leader Frederick Douglass while speaking in St. Augustine this week. Douglass was a prominent social reformer, abolitionist, orator, writer, statesman, and "father of the civil rights movement" for African Americans in the 19th century.
Born into slavery in Maryland, Douglass became a prominent voice in the abolition of slavery in Massachusetts and New York in the 1840s and 1850s before the Civil War. Douglass also wrote several books about his time as a slave and his path to freedom.
"He's one of the top five orders in American history. I don't think there's a question about that," DeSantis said. "He's a great writer. He was a slave, and he had to teach himself how to do all those things. It's really a testament to grit and determination and prevailing against all odds that you would be able to reach the intellectual heights that he did with all the barriers that he faced."
Douglass gave a speech at the then-Genovar Opera House in St. Augustine in 1889 to advocate for equal rights for African Americans. The event drew about 700 citizens from all different races, a lot for that time.
"It was so impactful that the crowd rose and, impromptu, just started singing the national anthem," DeSantis said. "I've given a lot of speeches; it's hard to get people to get up and start singing when you're done. That takes some skill."
Douglass's statue is specifically located at the Plaza de la Constitución in St. Augustine, America's oldest city. St. Augustine was founded in 1565, well before Jamestown (1607) and other settlements in the United States.
Douglass's statue is the latest unveiling by Gov. DeSantis for America 250, which commemorates America's 250th birthday coming up on July 4.
Other statues unveiled by Gov. DeSantis include former Presidents James Monroe and Thomas Jefferson, as well as Benjamin Franklin.
