Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother. – 1 John 3:10
President Rutherford Hayes appointed Frederick Douglass as U.S. Marshal of Washington, D.C., on this day in 1877. Douglass was the first African American confirmed for a presidential appointment by the Senate. Born into slavery in Maryland in 1818 as Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey, he was enslaved on various plantations and Baltimore households until he fled to the north in 1838 and changed his surname to Douglass. He became a prominent leader of the abolitionist movement, giving speeches, and publishing his autobiography in 1845. He met with President Lincoln and encouraged African American men to join the Union Army during the Civil War. He also served as the designated president of the Freedmen’s Bank, which had been authorized by Congress since 1865 to protect the savings of African American Civil War veterans and former slaves.
As the Lord leads, pray with us…
- For the president to seek God’s guidance as he and his advisors review and nominate individuals to federal posts.
- For Director Ronald Davis to be prudent and discerning as he manages the U.S. Marshal Service.
