In the 1850s, others in the abolitionist movement (mainly white people) tended to regard Douglass as a talented speaker and activist whose clear intellectual prowess disproved the idea that Black people were an inherently inferior race. This speech supported that view of Douglass, but his heavy use of irony and sarcasm also struck a nerve with many abolitionists and gave the movement a serious shot in the arm.

Until about the 1930s, the image of Douglass as an accomplished Black person with a renowned intellect held sway. About that time, though, people started to value Douglass' body of work (which includes both speeches and autobiographies) as valuable literature in its own right. Over the course of the 20th century, Douglass became known not only as a great activist but also as one of the greatest American literary figures of the 19th century.

Basically, people always knew he was awesome…but even then they didn't give him full credit for being as awesome as he actually was.

But today, Time magazine lists "The Hypocrisy of American Slavery" among the "Top 10 Greatest Speeches" of all time, just to give you a taste of how Douglass is regarded now.

Not too shabby.