On October 25, 1894, during the three-day annual meeting of the American Missionary Association in Lowell, Massachusetts, the sprawling sanctuary of what was then the First Congregational Church of Lowell welcomed Frederick Douglass to its stage. There, he used the occasion not to celebrate the progress made since the Civil War, but to sound an urgent warning, in a historic address entitled “A Defence of the Negro Race.”

The hard-won gains of Reconstruction were rapidly disappearing as Southern states imposed Jim Crow laws, stripped African Americans of their voting rights, and tolerated an epidemic of racial violence and lynchings. Douglass believed the nation was abandoning its commitment to equality.

Following the Civil War, the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution had abolished slavery, established citizenship and equal protection under the law, and guaranteed Black men the right to vote. During Reconstruction, African Americans built schools and churches, held public office, and participated in civic life on an unprecedented scale. By 1894, however, those achievements were under relentless attack. Segregation was becoming law, Black political participation was being systemically suppressed, and lynchings were terrorizing Black communities across the South.

In “A Defence of the Negro Race,” Douglass forcefully rejected the racist claims used to justify this backlash. He defended the character, achievements, and potential of African Americans, while condemning the nation’s failure to uphold the Constitutional rights it had promised after the Civil War. Douglass’ 1894 Lowell address stands as one of his most powerful appeals for America to honor the ideals of Reconstruction before they could be erased by discrimination, violence, and injustice. It also marked one of his final public appearances, as Douglass would unfortunately pass away just four months later.

This film, featuring historian and re-enactor Nathan Richardson as Frederick Douglass, returns this speech to the very sanctuary in which it was first spoken by Douglass himself, allowing a significant piece of American history to be experienced exactly where it happened. Though more than a century has passed since Douglass’ death, his words retain their incredible power, and his messages remain just as urgent. We invite you to witness that remarkable 1894 address and discover why Frederick Douglass continues to challenge and inspire generations.

Read the full transcript of Douglass’ 1894 Lowell speech: