“ Get excited! Shake! Shake!" (Huggins,180). These are the words of Fredrick Douglass that could represent the way he lived his life. Unwilling to accept his life as a slave, he became a great and honorable man who had an influential voice on the reform movement throughout the 19th century. He is one of the American leaders who forcefully voiced human rights and racial injustice during this period of American history. He was first and foremost an abolitionist, fighting against slavery until its elimination a man dedicated to a cause, determined to try everything in his power to fight for what he believed was right, namely racial equality. As a young man, Fredrick had a burning incentive to change the world His life began to lose the sense of hope and idealism he had once shown. Although he didn't get what he wanted, he will always be given credit for his efforts as a great black man. He lived in a dominant white society, but was able to speak openly, participate in government affairs, and share his ideals and principles with the nation. While he may not have achieved his desired goals, he can be seen as a man who would mark the beginning of a long and arduous struggle for racial equality. Fredrick Douglass based his reform ideas on two different and interconnected principles. These were the themes of religion and morality and also the Declaration of Independence, representing the set of ideals on which the nation was founded. The importance of Christian morality was especially important throughout the 19th century due to the Second Great Awakening, which caused many people to be influenced by what they perceived as morally right. Fredrick based his argument that slavery was a sin before God. He wanted the American people to understand that it was their Christian duty to help the slaves. “Heaven help the poor slaves…” (Huggins, 70). He was devout and considered his cause “right in the sight of God” (Huggins, 32). constantly putting his life at risk. He gave many speeches throughout his life and spoke of the horrific atrocities and evil perpetrated against black people in slavery. He wanted to “stir up the callous hearts of the American people” (Huggins, 70). He felt he couldn't stand by and watch... middle of paper..., at the annual meeting of the Equal Rights Association, Douglas addressed the urgency of black men voting. With the adoption of the Fifteenth Amendment which extended the vote to black men and not women, friction was created between the two causes that divided them considerably. “Douglass argued that it was “the Negro's time” and that their rights must first be guaranteed.” (Huggins, 121). Fredrick Douglass did not achieve his ultimate goal of “racial equality.” This was because society was not ready to accept and think of blacks as equals. Racism was deeply rooted in American society. America has always been a nation where white American men believed they were superior; they were pragmatic and strongly involved in the ideology of “manifest destiny”. They wanted to limit any possibility of their power being taken away from them. If blacks were granted full equality, the social and economic status of white men could be threatened. Furthermore, there was the simple fact that even whites, who thought slavery was a sin and fought for its abolition, did not think blacks were their equals. They refused to associate and interact with black people. This represented the “separate but equal” doctrine”..