Fredrick Douglass wrote “Men of Color, To Arms!” in 1863 while in New York. He wrote this short article to arouse his fellow slaves to fight for their freedom, and more importantly for their country. The Civil War was fought over slaves, yet the slaves could be the cure for ending the war, according to Douglass. He told his brothers and sisters not to question, but to respond to the call and fight. “Action! Action! and not criticism, is the plain duty of this hour” (Douglass 1). Douglass’s words “Better to die free than live slaves” foreshadowed what Patrick Henry would say roughly 100 years later in his work “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death.” Douglass went on to encourage his fellow slaves to ignore the white men, who said that this was their war. He invoked them to run to Massachusetts, where they would be welcomed into the army. He assured them that they would be treated just as the white soldiers were treated. They would be given the same wages, food, and equipment. He implored his brothers and sisters to pounce on the opportunity to win back their freedom.