Representative Men in Literature

Paper Summary:

This paper explores that the relative "representative-ness" of both Douglass and George Robert Twelve Hewes, of their respective eras, is based on how each man typifies his respective era, in (1) social station, (2) peer relationships and (3) ability to articulate, act upon and lead others to support his vision. This author points out that (1) Frederick Douglass' social station of a slave was typical of peers with whom he planned, spoke and interacted leading up to his own heroic activities, while Hewes' was not; (2) Douglass' relationships of influence leading up to his revolutionary activities were with peers, while Hewes' were with those richer and more privileged persons and (3)
Douglass articulated, acted upon and lead others to support his vision; while Hewes, though he acted on a shared vision of American independence, was not the originator of that vision, now did he publicly speak or write to influence others toward it. The paper concludes that Frederick Douglass more representative of his particular era than was George Robert Twelve Hewes of his era.

From the Paper:

"Though Douglass was more typical of his era than not, there were also ways he was special, even in early childhood. In certain ways, he enjoyed treatment atypical of slaves of that period, perhaps (though not verifiably) because Aaron Anthony was indeed his father. For example, when he was nine years old, rather than being sent into the fields to begin life as a slave labored as soon as he was physically ready, like most male slave children that age, Frederick was instead sent to live, for reasons forever unknown to him, with Aaron Anthony's daughter and son-in-law, Sofia and Hugh Auld, in Baltimore. Sofia (who may have been his half-sister) taught Frederick to read and write (which was illegal) until her husband Hugh Auld discovered she was doing so, and insisted she stop since this "would forever unfit him to be a slave"

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