As a young man, Frederick Douglass found inspiration in an unlikely place: Ireland. A writer, orator and abolitionist, Douglass traveled to the country in 1845 to gain overseas support for his campaign to end of slavery in America.

At the time, many Americans remained obdurate (see definition and hear pronunciation below) in their support of slavery. In Ireland, Douglass found that his efforts to end the oppression of slavery mirrored the cause of Irish nationalists, who were fighting against British rule of their country.

At the time, Ireland was experiencing severe struggles with famine, caused by the blight that killed potato crops, the country’s main source of food.

Still, Douglass, who had escaped from slavery in Maryland years before, received a warm welcome in Ireland. He wrote that it was the first time he truly felt free.

Cool word vocabulary question of the day: From what you know about activists like Frederick Douglass and Martin Luther King, Jr., what do you think are the most effective methods that have been used to overcome obdurate opposition to justice throughout history?

Obdurate: Stubbornly refusing to change one’s thinking; unyielding.

Click to hear the pronunciation of obdurate:

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