Frederick Douglass was intrigued by what he heard about white abolitionist John Brown. So, when Brown invited Douglass to his home in Springfield, Massachusetts, in November 1847, Douglass accepted.
Douglass later described Brown’s bluish-gray eyes as “full of light and fire.” He continued, “[Brown] is in sympathy a black man, and as deeply interested in our cause, as though. Freed enslaved men willing to fight would join Brown’s small army. Anyone else would be sent to freedom in the north on the Underground Railroad. Brown called it a “Subterranean Pass-Way.” Douglass admired Brown’s sincerity, courage, and lack of self-interest. He found the plan impractical, however.
