"The will of the Slave holder is the only law of the Slave."

Autograph document by Frederick Douglass. [England], circa late 1845 to early 1847. 1 page, 4to. 22 lines of manuscript in the hand of Frederick Douglass. Pencil notation in an unknown hand, reads in full: "F. Douglass from A. H. Richardson / Negro Slave who escaped + came / to England + wrote his life”.

IMPORTANT AND PREVIOUSLY UNKNOWN FREDERICK DOUGLASS SPEECH DRAFT ON THE POWER OF SLAVEHOLDERS.

A portion of Frederick Douglass’s handwritten, manuscript draft of an anti-slavery speech, likely penned during his landmark lecture tour of Britain in late 1846. 

Recently discovered, this unpublished draft leaf offers a glimpse into the mind of America’s most influential Black abolitionist at a time when he was still legally enslaved. Fittingly, it opens with Douglass’s handwritten citation of American slave law: “Slaves shall be taken, held, reputed and adjudged as property to all intents & purposes whatsoever.” Douglass goes on to assert that “the will of the slave-holder is the only law of the slave,” and concludes that one stroke of a master’s pen can unleash “the whole civil, naval and military power of the nation” against any who dare resist. 

Drafted while Douglass was touring England, Scotland, and Ireland from 1845 to 1847, the manuscript represents a pivotal phase in his life. Fresh from the celebrated bestseller Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass (1845), he crossed the Atlantic both to escape American slave-catchers and to galvanize support for the abolition of slavery in the United States. For nineteen months, Douglass delivered more than 300 addresses, shaping the trans-Atlantic discourse on slavery and winning allies who would raise £150 to secure his legal freedom in December 1846.

This significant manuscript leaf was recently acquired as part of a small lot of American anti‑slavery documents sold at auction in Europe, where it was mistakenly cataloged as a partial letter to Frederick Douglass from a recently emancipated man named Alfred Richardson. The error likely stems from the pencil notation at the foot. Here, “A. H. Richardson” almost certainly refers not to Alfred Richardson, but to Anna H. Richardson (1806–1892), the English Quaker abolitionist who led the £150 subscription that secured Douglass’s legal emancipation. Anna Richardson's past ownership or role in procuring the manuscript also likely explains the leaf’s presence in a European collection until very recently.

Without question, the content and handwriting precisely match Douglass’s work during his 1845-1847 tour of Ireland, Scotland, and England. The script corresponds to dated examples from the period, including letters to Francis Jackson (Dundee, 29 January 1846, Boston Public Library, Anti‑Slavery Collection), to Maria Weston Chapman (London, 18 August 1846, Boston Public Library, Anti‑Slavery Collection), and to Sarah Hilditch (29 April 1847; Bonhams, Exploration and Travel Literature, Featuring Americana, 25 October 2022, lot 17; also Seth Kaller, Inv. #27434). See also Swann Auction Galleries, “The Voice & Hand of Frederick Douglass,” which identifies diagnostic features of his hand—particularly his word‑initial S and P—clearly evident here.

Autograph speech manuscripts by Douglass are incredibly rare; most of his oratory was delivered extemporaneously and survives only in newspaper reports. Comparable leaves are almost exclusively in institutional collections, and examples written abroad, while he remained a fugitive in the eyes of U.S. law, are almost nonexistent.  

This preserved manuscript, containing Douglass’s in-situ revisions, stands among the finest primary documents showing his early rhetorical and oratorical brilliance. 

Complete text: 

In the language of the American Slave law – Slaves shall be taken – held/sold – reported – and adjudged as property to all intents, constructions, purposes whatsoever. – he can have nothing – possess nothing but what must belong to a Slave holder. The will of the Slave holder is the only law of the Slave. Absolute obedience from the Slave is claimed – and compelled enforced by absolute and iresponsible [sic] power in the hand of the Slaveholder.  The life as well as the limbs of the Slave – is the property of the Slaveholder – He can bruse [sic],  maim, + burn – and if he please murder his Slave with legal and popular impunity. He can do what he will with his own. His power is complete – and his will absolute. Every Slave holder in the United States claims this power and exercises this will. No Government can interpose between him and his Slave while this relation subsists. The United States government is the mere instrument of his power. With one stroke of his pen, he can summon to his aid every the whole civil navil [sic] and military power force of the nation – and caused to be shot as a traitor any who may refuse to obey his summons.”

[African Americana, African American History, Black History, Slavery, Enslavement, Abolition, Emancipation] [Pamphlets, Publications, Ephemera, Books, Rare Books, Tracts]