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Frederick Douglass Web Resources

Web site Evaluators
Herbert Brodsky - Dodd Middle School, New York
Kathryn Sansbury - Wake Forest-Rolesville High, North Carolina
Cynthia Weeden - Dardenne Elementary, Missouri

Web site Reviewer and Compiler
Barbara Bureker - Evergreen Internet Academy, Washington

Site Ratings

1 = Poor

2 = Fair

3 = Good

4 = Excellent

The Frederick Douglass Papers at the Library of Congress
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/doughtml/doughome.html
This Library of Congress site provides "a massive amount of information," including timelines, a family tree, primary source images and text, and numerous links to related resources. It is easily navigated, although "one can get lost given the depth and breadth of the information available." This vast collection of material can provide a tremendous "opportunity to compare and contrast life styles, social customs and points of view." Teachers should be aware of the "use of racial slurs and profanity" in some of the primary source documents, which may be offensive if the context of time and events are not understood by visiting students. This site is well worth spending time with; it has something to offer any teacher and most students who may be studying Frederick Douglass and this time period.
Overall Rating: 4

American Visionaries: Frederick Douglass
http://www.nps.gov/frdo/freddoug.html
Resources provided on this National Park Service site include a brief biography of Frederick Douglass and views of the Douglass home. Although the information presented is useful for students conducting research, its "real value" is its links to other National Park Service sites "that provide a wealth of visual, audio and original source documents that are teacher and student friendly." Sections of the site, including what should in the future be a very interesting "virtual tour" of the Douglass home, are not completed. Occasional formatting problems with the text may make reading difficult for younger students or less proficient readers. While this site has some limitations at the present time, its "future potential for the study of the time period and social and economic life is significant," depending on the material that is added to the unfinished sections.
Overall Rating: 3

A Biography of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Sandra Thomas
http://www.history.rochester.edu/class/douglass/home.html
This site, connected to the University of Rochester, contains a detailed and thorough biography of Frederick Douglass. "Its depth of topical focus and presentation of materials not normally found in textbooks" make this a valuable site for research, both by teachers and High School and college students. "Since Douglass lived in Rochester for a number of years," there is information here that may not be available elsewhere. The biography is text only, but is presented in an easy to read font and page format. The lack of pictures "may seem a little intimidating for students," however. A good list of references and a link to the text of "The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass An American Slave" by Frederick Douglass are included, as well as a Chronology of important events in Douglass' life.
Overall Rating: 3

Three Speeches from Frederick Douglass: Examples of his Passion, Logic and Power
http://www.frederickdouglass.org/speeches
This site provides the text of three passionate speeches by Frederick Douglass. It also includes a link to a brief biography of Douglass, with pictures and Douglass' "three keys for success in life." Information about various workshops and live presentations, "very useful for Black History month," is also available. Fred Morsell, an actor who portrays Douglass in these presentations, can be viewed in a 17-minute video clip. Morsell will also answer questions about Douglass that are sent in to this web site. This site is most useful for teachers gathering information, and for advanced American Literature or U.S. History students. Teachers might consider using excerpts from the speeches as primary source material in high school classes.
Overall Rating: 2