Photo by Chris Meyer "When people find out that it's a part of the IU system, they're really surprised," said the project's assistant editor Mark Emerson. Douglass was so incredibly well-read, some critics from his time spread rumors that his work was not his own. What other explanation could there be for a 19th-century slave with such an advanced education? So, in order to discredit rumors, Douglass wrote one of three autobiographies, all of which are part of the papers project.

Emerson, a documentary editor with the IUPUI-based Frederick Douglass Papers Project, said the project aims to catalog, preserve and publish the writings, speeches and correspondence of Frederick Douglass. Douglass, who was born a slave in 1818, is credited for his courageous abolitionist work during the 19th century. The African-American activist became a popular anti-slavery lecturer, touring the country. In 1847, he began publishing the abolitionist newspaper the North Star.

"Most people, when they hear I work for the Frederick Douglass Papers Project, think we own the papers of Frederick Douglass; we don't," said Emerson, noting that the project owns only one original document. "But what we have is the collection that no one else has--by far the largest collection."

And that collection--copies of the original documents or documents accessed via library loan--is the official text of what Douglass wrote, published by the project in multiple volumes. Divided into four series, the volumes provide scholars with source material and historical context. Along with publishing the writings of Douglass, Emerson and his colleagues arrange Douglass' writings chronologically, adding contextual commentary to assist researchers.

"We provide research aid to give a normal reader insight into what they wouldn't know," explained Emerson. "An apparatus at the back of each volume gives a lot of historical information and other annotated pieces of information to help them understand why he wrote this at that time."

A portion of Emerson's editing duties includes pinpointing literary sources that the well-read Douglass referred to in his autobiographies, speeches, editorials or correspondence. In earlier writings, according to Emerson, Douglass was fond of biblical references or quoting such literary figures as Robert Burns. "As he became better read, his literary allusions became more sophisticated. He might refer to Shakespeare, and he liked using poetry," said Emerson.

Emerson also plays detective in tracking down meanings behind 19th-century phrases. In one reference, Douglass uses the term "nailed to the counter." Emerson discovered that the phrase meant to expose a lie and was coined by merchants who would nail counterfeit money to their counters as warning to any would-be frauds. Emerson annotates the reference to give scholars context.

Douglass was so incredibly well-read, some critics from his time spread rumors that his work was not his own. What other explanation could there be for a 19th-century fugitive slave with such an advanced education? So, in order to discredit rumors, Douglass wrote the first of three autobiographies, all of which are part of the papers project.

"Through letters and newspaper accounts, we have very detailed impressions of Douglass as a commanding public speaker," said Emerson. "He was very tall, and, apparently, he knew how to find the rhythm of a speech. The way he learned was by studying The Columbian Orator. He just read, and, soon, he discovered how to deliver a compelling speech. What I find truly fascinating is that he really was a self-made man."

Douglass corresponded with other abolitionist activists including Harriet Beecher Stowe, William Lloyd Garrison and Maria Weston Chapman. "His personal letters that he wrote to other people offer a good cross-section of his viewpoints on the social issues of his time," said Emerson, adding that the high volume of Douglass' correspondence is also a function of his duties as editor of abolitionist newspapers.

Emerson first became involved with documentary editing during a fellowship with the Indiana Historical Society's project to catalog the writings of Civil War Gen. Lew Wallace. As part of his research for that project, Emerson spent time with the Abraham Lincoln Papers in Springfield, Ill. Emerson also completed a certificate in professional editing, offered at IUPUI through the Institute for American Thought.

"Documentary editing is somewhat of a 'cottage industry' for IUPUI," Emerson said, noting the Institute for American Thought is also home to similar research projects for the papers of philosophers Charles S. Peirce and George Santayana.

"These types of projects are feathers in the caps of universities," he said. Emerson compares the project's scope to Stanford University's Martin Luther King Jr. Papers Project. "It's just incredible. Schools and parks are named for Frederick Douglass. The impact of his work is still felt today."

A closer look at IUPUI's Douglass papers project

* The project is divided into four series. The first series, "Speeches, Debates and Interviews," is five volumes and was completed in 1992. The second series, "Autobiographies," is three volumes: with two volumes completed and the third in research and production. Of the third series, four volumes of "Correspondence," the first volume is being prepared for the publisher and the second for annotation research. The fourth series will consist of two volumes of editorials and journal articles written by Douglass. The series is published by Yale University Press.

* John Blassingame started the project in 1973 at Yale University. In 1994, Blassingame turned the project over to John McKivigan while he was a professor in the Department of History at West Virginia University. The project moved to IUPUI in 1998 when McKivigan accepted the Mary O'Brien Gibson Professorship in American history at IUPUI. McKivigan continues in the role of project director.

* The Frederick Douglass Papers Project does not collect original documents. The project is one of the few major documentary editing projects devoted to African-American figures. The Martin Luther King Jr. Papers Project is at Stanford University. The Harriet Jacobs Papers is at Pace University. Links to those projects are http://www.harrietjacobspapers.org/ and http://www.stanford.edu/group/King/.

Source: http://www.iupui.edu/~douglass/