Frederick Douglass' Black Tea Blend

Douglass played a vital role in shaping American history and we still benefit today from his beliefs on equality and inclusiveness. To commemorate this eloquent and powerful man, we blended together teas from different countries that perfectly co-exist to create a taste that is strong and bold.

Brand: Simpson & Vail (Local CT tea company)
 - Literary Tea Collection.
Ingredients: Black teas from India, Vietnam, Kenya, China and Indonesia
- Certified Kosher
Makes: 50 cups of tea

One of the most influential orators and writers on the subject of equal rights for all, Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey (Frederick Douglass) was born into slavery in February 1818. While he is most known, through his speeches and writings, for social reform of slavery, Douglass also was quite a vocal advocate for women’s rights.

Douglass became known as a powerful and eloquent author with his writing in Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave (1845), The Heroic Slave (1853), My Bondage and My Freedom (1855) and Life and Times of Frederick Douglass (1881, revised 1892). However, an equally impressive contribution that Douglass made to the abolitionist movement was through photography. He believed that photographs could change people’s perceptions of who African Americans really were. As a model, Douglass became the most photographed American in the 19th century sitting for 160 photographs throughout his life. In these photos, Douglass conveyed his social status, intelligence, and dignity while also sharing the wisdom of his experiences and the deep sadness for all he had endured.

Works by Frederick Douglass:

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave (1845)
     "The Heroic Slave". Autographs for Freedom. Ed. Julia Griffiths, Boston: Jewett and Company, 1853. pp. 174–239.
     My Bondage and My Freedom (1855)
     Life and Times of Frederick Douglass (1881, revised 1892)