 an enlightenment that we see etched in Frederick Douglass' mighty Leonine gaze. End quote. How Americans react to Douglass' gaze, indeed how we gaze back at his visage, and more important, how we read him, appropriate him, or engage his legacies, informs how we use our past to determine who we are. Douglass' life and writing emerged from nearly the full scope of the 19th century, representative of the best and the worst in the American spirit.