Frederick Douglas & Business Ethics

"If there is no struggle, there is no progress." Frederick Douglas

I have recently finished a biography on the former civil rights leader Frederick Douglas and the story of his life solidified some of my opinions about the importance of business ethics. Recently we have seen the collapse of companies such as Enron and World Com, which fell apart because of moral issues of the company's leadership. This has reminded me of the need for businesses to evaluate themselves not only through financial statements and products sold, but to also look at the overall way that the business is being run. Is it ethical? Is the company truly what it claims to be on paper.

Frederick Douglas was an escaped slave who refused to be quieted concerning the modern slavery of his time. He was a black man who was viewed as business property rather than being viewed as a man. Frederick lived in a time of American history when businesses used black slavery as a human resource that made many white businessmen rich.

The study of slavery and business brings out interesting parallels that teach us about the crucial need to judge the success of our business on more than just balance sheets. This time period in America also shows the need to treat humans as more than just business resources, which is the way many companies view their employees today. Luckily slavery in America is in the past, but if we do not learn from the past we are bound to repeat it. Businesses need to be careful that they do not grow so concerned about the balance sheet that they forget about the people behind the numbers.