While Frederick Douglass was incredibly famous, his stance on temperance is not well known. This is because he was not given a platform by American temperance societies due to the color of his skin. These temperance societies did not want to risk losing popularity by inviting a black man to speak. In a speech he delivered in Scotland in 1846, Douglass argued that emancipation from intemperance would lead to emancipation from slavery because intemperance was used as an argument against emancipation. When he was enslaved, Douglass would be given alcohol to prevent him from planning to gain his freedom. In his speech, Douglass referenced 1 Corinthians 9:11 to help him argue that ministers need to lead by example and give up alcohol for the benefit of their community.
