Douglass, Frederick orig. Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey (b. February 1818?, Tuckahoe, Md., U.S.—d. Feb. 20, 1895, Washington, D.C.) U.S. abolitionist. The son of a slave mother and a white father, he was sent to work as a house servant in Baltimore, where he learned to read. At age 16 he was returned to the plantation; later he was hired out as a ship caulker. In 1838 he fled to New York City and then to New Bedford, Mass., changing his name to elude slave hunters. His elo¬ quence at an 1841 antislavery convention propelled him into a new career as an agent for the Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society, in which capac¬ ity he endured frequent insults and violent personal attacks. In 1845 he wrote his autobiography, now regarded as a classic. To avoid recapture by his owner, whose name he had given in the narrative, he embarked on a speaking tour of England and Ireland (1845—47), returning with enough money to buy his freedom and to start an antislavery newspaper North Star , which he published until 1860 in Rochester, N.Y. In 1851 he split with the radical abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison and allied himself with moderates led by James Birney. In the American Civil War he was a con¬ sultant to Pres. Abraham Lincoln. During Reconstruction he fought for full civil rights for freedmen and supported women’s rights. He served in government posts in Washington, D.C. (1877-86), and as U.S. minister to Haiti (1889-91).
Douhet Xdti-'eX, Giulio (b. May 30, 1869, Caserta, Italy—d. Feb. 15, 1930, Rome) Italian general. He served as commander of Italy’s first aviation unit, the Aeronautical Battalion (1912-15). In World War I his criticism of the war’s conduct led to his court-martial, imprisonment, and
retirement. An investigation in 1917 justified his criticisms; his convic¬ tion was reversed, and he was appointed head of the aviation service. In books such as The Command of the Air (1921) he advanced his ideas on strategic air power and the importance of strategic bombing. He advo¬ cated the creation of an independent air force, reduction of land and sea forces, and unification of the armed forces. Though his ideas aroused great controversy, many were adopted by the major powers.
Doukhobors or Dukhobors Vdii-ko-.borX (Russian: “Spirit Wres¬ tler”) Member of a Russian peasant religious sect. Its members, most of whom originally lived in southern Russia, objected to the liturgical reforms (1652) of Patriarch Nikon and Russia’s Westernization under Peter
I. They had no priests or sacraments, and their egalitarian and pacifist beliefs provoked sporadic persecution from 1773 on. Leo Tolstoy won them the right to emigrate, and by 1899 7,500 had left for western Canada. In the early 20th century they clashed repeatedly with the Canadian gov¬ ernment over noncompliance with land, tax, and education laws. The removal of Doukhobor children from their parents 1953-59 prompted legal action to obtain compensation in the late 1990s.
Douris \'du-ris\ (fl. early 5th century bc, Greece) Greek vase painter. He was known for his work in red-figure pottery, which exhibit his fine drafts¬ manship and rhythmic composition. He decorated his vases with a vari¬ ety of themes, including the legend of the Golden Fleece. His signature has been identified on some 40 vases; more than 200 have been attrib¬ uted to him, including a cup depicting Eos Embracing Her Dead Son Memnon.
Douro River Vdo-.ruV Spanish Duero Ydwa-ro\ ancient Durius. River in Spain and Portugal. The third-longest in the Iberian Peninsula, it rises in the Sierra de Urbion in central Spain, and crosses the Numantian Plateau. It flows generally westward for 556 mi (895 km) across Spain and northern Portugal to the Atlantic Ocean. It has extensive barge traffic in its Portuguese section, and has been harnessed for hydroelectric power.
dove Any of certain birds of the pigeon family (Columbidae). The names pigeon and dove are often used interchangeably. Though “dove” usually refers to the smaller, long-tailed members of the pigeon family, there are exceptions: the common street pigeon, generally typical for birds desig¬ nated as pigeons, is frequently called the rock dove. The common names of these birds do not necessarily reflect their accurate biological relation¬ ships to one another.
Dove, Rita (Frances) (b. Aug. 28, 1952, Akron, Ohio, U.S.) U.S. writer and teacher. She studied writing at the University of Iowa and pub¬ lished the first of several chapbooks of her poetry in 1977. Her poems and short stories focus on the particulars of family life and personal struggle, addressing the larger dimensions of the African American experience pri¬ marily by indirection. Her poetry collections include Museum (1983), Thomas and Beulah (1986, Pulitzer Prize), Mother Love (1995), and On the Bus with Rosa Parks (1999). She was poet laureate of the U.S. from 1993 to 1995.
Dover City (pop., 2000: 32,135), capital of Delaware, U.S., on the St. Jones River. Laid out in 1717 as the site for a county courthouse and jail by order of William Penn and named for Dover, Eng., it became the capi¬ tal in 1777. Its many colonial buildings include the Old State House (rebuilt 1787-92), which served as the capitol building until 1933; dis¬ played there are King Charles II’s original royal grant and Penn’s deeds to Delaware (1682). The modern city is a farm trade centre and shipping point for fruits, and it has some light industries.
Dover ancient Dubris Portus Town (pop., 1995 est.: 34,000) and seaport on the Strait of Dover, Dover district, administrative and historic county of Kent, southeastern England. A pre-Roman settlement existed on the site, and in the 4th century ad it was guarded by a Saxon fort. During the 11th century it was chief of the Cinque Ports. Dover Castle, a strong¬ hold of medieval England, was besieged by rebellious barons in 1216. The town was held by Parliamentarians in the English Civil Wars. It was a naval base in World War I and was bombed by Germans in World War
II. Landmarks include the castle, a Roman lighthouse, and an ancient for¬ tress church. Famous for the white chalk cliffs rising above it, Dover is a leading passenger port.
Dover, Strait of French Pas de Calais \,pad-ka-Ta\ ancient Fre- tum Gallicum. Channel separating southeastern England from north¬ western France. Connecting the English Channel with the North Sea, it is about 20 mi (32 km) wide at its narrowest point. Lined on the British side
Cone of a Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii )
GRANT HEILMAN
© 2006 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.
Dover ► Dracula I 569
with the famous White Cliffs, which are composed of soft chalk, it is one of the world’s busiest seaways; its chief ports include Dover and Folke¬ stone in England and Calais and Boulogne in France. It was the scene of several historic naval battles, including the repulse by the English of the Spanish Armada in 1588. Allied troops in the Dunkirk Evacuation crossed to Dover in 1940.
Dover, Treaty of (1670) Pact between Charles II of England and Louis XIV in which Charles promised to support French policy in Europe in return for a French subsidy that would free him from financial depen¬ dence on Parliament. There were actually two treaties: a secret one con¬ cerning the conversion of England to the Roman Catholic faith (which never took effect), and a formal one concerning an Anglo-French military and naval alliance designed to subjugate the United Provinces of the Netherlands.
Dow, Herbert H(enry) (b. Feb. 26, 1866, Belleville, Ont., Can.—d. Oct. 15, 1930, Rochester, Minn., U.S.) U.S. inventor and manufacturer. After attending college in Cleveland, Dow developed and patented elec¬ trolytic methods (the Dow process) for extracting bromine from brines (concentrated water solutions of salts). In 1895 he founded the Dow Chemi¬ cal Co. to electrolyze brine for chlorine, used in insecticides. He was the first U.S. producer of iodine (which he also extracted from brine). He eventually was granted some 65 patents as his company became one of the world’s leading chemical manufacturers.