A statue of Frederick Douglass sculpted by Sidney W. Edwards, sometimes called the Frederick Douglass Monument, was installed in Rochester, New York in 1899 after it was commissioned by the African-American activist John W. Thompson. According to Visualising Slavery: Art Across the African Diaspora, it was the first statue in the United States that memorialized a specific African-American person. Originally located by the Rochester station, the statue was moved in 1941 to Highland Bowl, a natural amphitheater in Highland Park. The statue was relocated again in October 2019, becoming the centerpiece of a new Frederick Douglass Memorial Plaza. The base is surrounded by plaques bearing words from Douglass's speeches. Description The full-length statue of Frederick Douglass is installed in Memorial Plaza, located several hundred yards from Douglass's former home on South Avenue. He has a beard and mustache, and wears a greatcoat, bow tie, and vest with a watch chain. His proper right foot is extended, and his arms are outstretched with his palms facing upward. The bronze sculpture is approximately tall and has a diameter. It rests on a cylindrical granite drum with four bronze plaques, which sits on an octagonal base atop a grey-tan granite block base that measures approximately by . The surrounding pillar sculptures represent Polaris (the North Star) and several constellations. The North Star was the anti-slavery newspaper published in Rochester by Douglass, named after the directions given to escaped slaves to follow Polaris north to freedom. Inscriptions The monument has several inscriptions. One of the rear of the base reads, "SMITH GRANITE CO. / WESTERLY, RI". Additionally, a plaque on the back of the base reads: "THE BEST DEFENCE OF FREE / AMERICAN INSTITUTIONS IS / THE HEARTS OF THE AMERICAN / PEOPLE THEMSELVES." / "ONE WITH GOD IS A MAJORITY" / "I KNOW OF NO RIGHTS OF RACE / SUPERIOR TO THE RIGHTS OF / HUMANITY." A plaque on one of the sides of the base reads: "I KNOW OF NO SOIL BETTER / ADAPTED TO THE GROWTH OF / REFORM THAN AMERICAN SOIL / I KNOW OF NO COUNTRY. / WHERE THE CONDITIONS FOR / EFFECTING GREAT CHANGES / IN THE SETTLED ORDER OF / THINGS, FOR THE DEVELOPMENT / OF RIGHT IDEAS OF LIBERTY / AND HUMANITY ARE MORE / FAVORABLE THAN HERE IN / THESE UNITED STATES." / EXTRACT FROM SPEECH ON / DRED SCOTT DECISION, DELIVERED / IN NEW