Frederick Douglass and Free Speech

Frederick Douglass is remembered as one of the most powerful orators in American history, a leading voice for abolition, and an extraordinary champion of equal rights. He was also one of the 19th century’s most important thinkers about freedom of speech. For Douglass, free speech was not simply a constitutional protection against government censorship. It was a fundamental human right, an indispensable weapon in the struggle against slavery, and an essential condition of equal citizenship and self-government. In this episode, scholar Jacob Mchangama examines Douglass’s remarkably expansive understanding of free speech, drawing on a new research project that examines hundreds of his speeches, writings, and letters. Julie Silverbrook, chief content and learning officer at the National Constitution Center, moderates. 

 

Resources 

The Future of Free Speech, Jacob Mchangama 

Frederick Douglass Free Speech Corpus, Jacob Mchangama 

“Free Speech in a Changing World,” We the People (July 30, 2026) 

Jacob Mchangama, Free Speech: A History From Socrates to Social Media (2022)  

Jacob Mchangama and Jeff Kosseff, The Future of Free Speech: Reversing the Global Decline of Democracy’s Most Essential Freedom (2026) 

Freedom of Religion, Speech, Press, Assembly, and Petition, National Constitution Center 

First Amendment: Speech and Press Clauses, National Constitution Center 

 

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