"Frederick Douglass's American Founding," Dennis Rasmussen

 A quote often misattributed to Albert Einstein has applicability: “The measure of intelligence is the ability to change.” Too often, we are rigid in our beliefs, even as we despair of those with equal rigidity for opposing beliefs. In this book, the reader is witness to one of the most brilliant minds of the 19^thCentury undergo change.

 

Sydney M. Williams

 

Burrowing into Books

Frederick Douglass’s American Founding, Dennis Rasmussen

October 31, 2026

 

“Opinion shapers create the horizon within which politicians are able to act.”

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Dennis Rasmussen (1978-)

                                                                                                                                                                                                                               Frederick Douglass’s American Founding, 2026

 

Frederick Douglass, born a slave on Maryland’s Eastern Shore in 1818, was a forceful speaker, a brilliant writer, and an advocate for abolition and social reform from 1838 until his death in 1895. The author of this short (170 pages of text and 24 pages of notes) assumes the reader has some knowledge of Douglass. Dennis Rasmussen’s, a professor of history at Syracuse University, purpose is to examine Douglass’s change of opinion regarding the Constitution. This he does.

 

In 1840, Douglass, who had taught himself to read while a child and who had escaped slavery at age twenty, came under the influence of William Lloyd Garrison and Wendell Phillips in Boston. Both were abolitionists who believed the Constitution protected and promoted slavery. Douglass accepted their interpretation. In May he published his first book, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave, Written by Himself. He then spent two years in Great Britain, speaking against slavery in the United States. He later wrote: “Whilst America asserted the doctrine that everyone was born equal, he would denounce her hypocrisy.”

 

He wrote and spoke of the four clauses he felt promoted slavery: the 3/5 Clause, the Slave Trade Clause, the Fugitive Slave Clause, and the Suppressing National Domestic Violence Clause. Abolitionists were divided regarding the Constitution. On one side were those who felt it was pro-slavery – men like Garrison and Phillips (who, ironically, were joined by southern slave owners who believed the Constitution justified their practice). On the other side were Abolitionists like William Goodell, Lysander Spooner and Gerit Smith who saw it as a document for liberty – that it should be read for its words, what it says, not for what it does not say. And there those like Lincoln, in the years before the Civil War, who believed that the Constitution was neither pro-slavery nor anti-slavery. 

 

Around 1850, Douglass came under the influence of Goodell, Spooner and Smith, and he began to read the Constitution more carefully. On July 5, 1852 he delivered one of his best-known speeches: “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” It was, as Rasmussen writes “a devastating critique of America, but it is not a critique of America’s founding. “Far from regarding the founding and the founders as the source of the problem, as he once had, Douglass now saw them as a resource that could be used to remedy the problem.” 

 

All the clauses that he had once said supported slavery he now read as explaining why the Constitution was the “very vehicle for abolition.” The Nation needed not new principles, but a more rigorous adherence to those laid out in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. 

 

In their 1983 book Without Me You’re Nothing, authors Frank Herbert and Max Bernard wrote: “We define intelligence as the ability to adapt to change.” It is rare when we witness an individual with the intellectual abilities of Federick Douglass change his mind on so important a matter. Professor Rasmussen has done an admirable job.

"Trump Redux"

 The photo is from the October 12 edition of The Spectator World.

If Democrats and Republicans offered sensible alternatives, choices would be easier for those like me. But we live in the world as it is, not as we would wish it to be.

 

Sydney M. Williams

 

Thought of the Day

“Trump Redux”

October 30, 2026

 

“The unanswered riddle of Trump redux seems to be what combination of the belligerent and the

pacific in his political programme and personal make-up will find expression in his foreign policy.” 

                                                             John Harper

                                                            “American Isolationism and the Riddle of Trump Redux”

                                                             Survival: Global Politics and Strategy, 07/02/2025

 

Two years into Mr. Trump’s second term, confusion and chaos reign where I had hopes clarity and order might rule. While tariffs have always existed, they have become more controversial, especially when applied to neighbors like Canada and Mexico. Iran has long threatened Israel, the United States and western nations, but the war against them lingers. Talking is almost always better than fighting, but if the President, Mr. Putin and Mr. Xi meet at the APEC summit in Shenzhen, China next month, and they carve up the world, the United States will become an accessory to our enemies and even more of an unreliable ally to our friends in the Pacific and Europe.

 

Politics at home have become ugly. Mr. Trump is loose with his language, but the Socialist policies of Democrats on the far left – those that seem to be in ascendancy – would sink our economy and markets. Corruption permeates both parties. Bernie Sanders, an avowed Socialist (and politician since age 40) has an estimated net worth two and a half times that of the constituents he represents in Vermont. It is doubtful that he made any money in the private sector, as his jobs before he became the Mayor of Burlington in 1981 included carpentry, psychiatric aide and teacher. While President Trump, according to Forbes, lost about a billion dollars during his first term, he has more than made up for it in his second term. NPR (admittedly a biased source) puts his gain thus far at $2.7 billion. Contrast the accumulated wealth of Clinton and Obama to Truman.

 

With the exception of John McCain’s bid for the Presidency in 2008, I have been unhappy about our choices for President thus far in the 21^st century. I had hopes that Mr. Obama might heal persistent racial divisions, but instead he widened them. I voted for Mitt Romney in 2012 but perfunctorily. I voted for Mr. Trump in 2016 against the spiteful Hillary Clinton but without enthusiasm. In 2020, President Trump, who I felt had done well (except for his initial handling of Covid), got my nod against a mentally diminished Mr. Biden. And in 2024, with President Biden’s failing mental faculties becoming more obvious and an unhinged Ms. Harris replacing him, I saw no choice but to pull the lever for Mr. Trump a third time, even though disturbed by his January 6, 2021 antics.

 

Now, here we are, less than a week away from mid-term elections. Elections in the “deep blue state” of Connecticut are a Sisyphean task for Republicans. Both U.S. Senators and all five Representatives are Democrats. Both gubernatorial candidates for governor of Connecticut are from Greenwich, which does not seem to be representative of the state. But Ned Lamont is seeking a third term, while I believe governors should be limited to two terms. 

 

I believe the primary purpose of government is to protect citizens natural rights; to uphold a Lockean Social Contract where citizens give up certain rights for safety and stability, while allowing them to pursue their self-interests; and to provide a public education and the infrastructure necessary for individuals and private businesses to flourish. I believe that people are equal before the law and in their rights, but I recognize we are not equal in abilities – physical or mental – or in wants. I believe society should strive for equal opportunity yet we should not be blind to the elusiveness of that goal. Government assistance should be reserved for those truly unable to care for themselves, because of age, illness, infirmities or poverty. 

 

The country drifted after the defeat of Soviet Communism in December 1991. The United States found itself the sole super power in a disharmonious world. Yet a false belief that world peace was possible prevailed. The percent of the U.S. federal budget spent of defense fell from almost 24% in 1990 to less than 13% in 2024. (It is expected to rise to 18% in fiscal 2027). But history did not end and enemies to democracy did not disappear, as 9/11 demonstrated, and as Israel has always known. Dictators did not surrender. The nexus of China, Russia, Iran, North Korea and Cuba represent a more powerful adversary than did the old Soviet Union. Cyber threats are more likely than nuclear annihilation.

 

From what I have seen and read, Mr. Trump has no ideological beliefs. He prides himself as a deal maker. I doubt he has read either Adam Smith or Karl Marx. He is a disruptor. His antics and ill-manners upset many of our European allies. Yet those allies have responded by increasing defense budgets. On the other hand, their destructive social welfare system, lagging demographics, restrictive regulations, open borders (made worse by a failure to assimilate a growing migrant population) have resulted in civil unrest and anemic economic growth. 

 

Mr. Trump’s unpredictability can be a strength when dealing with the likes of Vladimir Putin or Xi Jinping, but his lack of social graces and respect for his opponents are off-putting in a world where steadfastness regarding principles is necessary, and compromise is essential to both domestic and foreign policy. His biggest failure is his unbridled egotism; one consequence is that his approval rankings are among the lowest for any modern president. Will those statistics be reflected in next week’s election? Mr. Trump is expected to campaign (or has campaigned) across 35 locations in the three weeks prior to election. He is not trying to convert independents or undecided voters; he is trying to ensure his believers actually go out and vote. Personally, I never respond to polls and I am suspicious of their accuracy; by next Wednesday we will know. 

 

I find myself in agreement with the conclusion of an essay by Christopher Caldwell in the October 12, 2026 issue of The Spectator World: “In contrast to his first term, which was craftily undermined by his Washington adversaries, Trump’s second term has been carelessly destroyed by his own flawed character.” Need one say more.

 

...........................................................................

 

Ideally, we need a leader with character – one who leads by example, is honest with the people, is self-deprecating and takes responsibility when things go wrong. We want an individual who restrains government spending, yet keeps us safe from enemies, while promoting personal and economic liberty. Is there such an individual?

"Being 'Bailey'"

 Dogs have been part of my life, since aged two when I crawled into ‘Rollo’s dog house. He was my grandmother’s Great Dane. At about 150 pounds, he was roughly six times my weight – me, a tasty morsel! While my parents were unnerved they knew they planned to have plenty more children, so weren’t overly concerned. At any rate, I escaped unharmed. As a child our dogs were, ‘George,’ an Irish Terrier and ‘Mopsa,’ an Irish Setter. Caroline and I had a total of five dogs – from ‘Susie,’ a Dachshund to ‘Dakota,’ mostly a Lab. Our children have (or have had) five dogs. While we no longer have a dog, we are happy that many of our neighbors do.   

 

 

Sydney M. Williams

 

More Essays from Essex

“Being ‘Bailey’”

October 24, 2026

 

“Now, I’m a mixer. I can’t help it. It’s my nature. I like men. I like the

taste of their boots, the smell of their legs, and the sound of their voices.”

                                                                                                                       P.G. Wodehouse (1881-1975)

                                                                                                                       “The Mixer”

                                                                                                                         The Man With Two Left Feet, 1917

 

To start, I was born a Beagle – or, more precisely, mostly Beagle; my heritage is a mystery. I come from Virginia’s Appalachian hills and was consigned to an animal shelter. Unexpectedly, at least to me, I gave birth to a litter before the age of one. It was a rough start.

 

But my luck changed when a young family in Greenwich, Connecticut adopted me; though I had to leave my offspring. The year was 2014, and the family had four children, aged five to twelve. Two cats resented my appearance. Once, when confronted by a hissing ‘Clover,’ I simply slipped away. The children and their parents, however, are wonderful, but Greenwich was a culture shock. Other dogs in the neighborhood looked down their snouts at my country accent. After a year or so of being snubbed, I prevailed upon the family to move to rural Connecticut. The town I chose was Lyme, which is where we now live. Here I chase squirrels, observe deer, and avoid the occasional coyote. While it isn’t western Virginia, neither is it suburban Greenwich. 

 

Most days I go for a walk, bringing with me whoever is available. In off-season I go to the beach, anywhere from Hammonasset to Watch Hill. If the weather is bad – and humans dislike being out in the rain, cold, or snow – I take them to the end of Ely’s Ferry Road, or perhaps a short walk on Smith Neck where the children’s grandparents once lived.

 

Now I am getting older – 14 next month. My hearing is going; my sight is not what it was, nor is my stamina, and the family still insists I use the outside loo. Nevertheless, except for the two cats, I remain content. I enjoy looking at the pictures of my cousin ‘Snoopy’ and thinking of the missed opportunity to go after the Fed Ex driver. And I do miss the four children who are working or in college, and I can never remember who is where. 

 

But I am thankful for my life. My eyes may look sad – and sometimes guilty – but I am not sad. Years ago, when a pup, I read Mark Twain’s Pudd’nhead Wilson, and I have always remembered his line: “If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous he will not bite you. This is the principal difference between a dog and a man.” And that is a lesson I have followed.

 

So I spend more time on the sofa, and even – sometimes – invite whoever is around to join me. After all, next month I will be 98 in human years. Nevertheless, I am positive for the future. I look out the window, wonder about my pups and dream of past chases. I cherish the family that took me in, and I think of the Appalachian hills where my journey began so many years ago.