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Frederick-Douglass-Walking-Stick-
The South Carolina State Museum recently acquired walking stick belonging to abolitionist, Frederick Douglass. The stick was gifted to him while visiting Charleston, S.C. in March 1888. The Douglass Walking stick is one of a kind and is now on display at the museum.
“This walking stick is not only a notable object of national history, gifted to the preeminent abolitionist, writer, and lecturer Frederick Douglass, it is a significant and meaningful piece of South Carolina history,” said JoAnn Zeise, cultural history curator of the State Museum. “Adding this one-of-a-kind piece to our collection will help us continue to tell the wonderful stories of South Carolina for years to come.”
In early 1888, Douglass embarked on a speaking tour of South Carolina and Georgia, a journey not without peril. In early March 1888, Douglass arrived in Charleston, South Carolina where he delivered versions of his "Self-Made Men" and "European Travels" addresses at Mount Zion church, founded in 1883 and considered a "daughter church" of Mother Emanuel AME, the oldest African Methodist Episcopal church.
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Comment by William Douglas 9 hours ago
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The Douglass Light Infantry was an African American militia unit formed in Charleston, South Carolina, after the U.S. Civil War during the Reconstruction era. Most of its members were formerly enslaved men who named the unit in honour of the prominent abolitionist Frederick Douglass.
The unit was one of several Black militia groups that formed part of the National Guard of South Carolina following the Civil War. These units were significant symbols of African American citizenship and freedom in the post-war South.
In March 1888, during a speaking tour of South Carolina and Georgia, Frederick Douglass visited Charleston. The Douglass Light Infantry honored him by serenading him at their armory and presenting him with a walking stick.
The cane had a gold cap engraved with "Hon. F. Douglass / From D.L.I. / Charleston, S.C. / Mar. 6th / 1888" and was decorated with engraved wild strawberries, which symbolized righteousness and spiritual merit. This walking stick is now a historical artifact in the collection of the South Carolina State Museum.Like other Black militia groups in the state, the Douglass Light Infantry was eventually disbanded in 1896 due to the implementation of Jim Crow laws and segregationist policies that eroded the rights gained during Reconstruction.
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Comment by J Ruaidri Douglas yesterday
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He was honored afterward by an African American militia unit calling themselves the Douglass Light Infantry. Most of the men in the militia company would have been formerly enslaved men and named themselves in honor of Douglass. According to a newspaper account, the infantry members serenaded him at their armory. They also presented him with a walking stick, with a gold cap engraved "Hon. F. Douglass / From D.L.I. / Charleston, S.C. / Mar. 6th / 1888” and is decorated with while strawberries which symbolized righteousness and spiritual merit.
Frederick Douglass was the most famous African American abolitionist and orator of the 19th century. During the last decade of his life, he traveled frequently to give speeches across the country. In early 1888, Douglass embarked on a speaking tour of South Carolina and Georgia, a journey not without peril.
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