Like his father, Lewis Henry Douglass was a "valuable citizen" to Washington D.C. through his involvement with the "New National Era" and other political impact. He helped establish and was the senior editor of the "New National Era ("1870-1874) with his father, a "well conducted" newspaper aimed at addressing the issues of the black community in D.C. He had a political impact when appointed to the legislative council of the District of Columbia by Ulysses S. Grant where he pushed for racial equality by creating a bill like one that required restaurants to post their prices so they could not overcharge blacks. During the period of U.S. expansion, Douglass was an outspoken critic of the McKinley administration for its involvement in the Philippines and its lack of commitment to solve domestic issues of racial violence towards African Americans. It is a sorry, though true, fact that whatever this government controls, injustice to dark races prevails.. The people of Cuba, Porto Rico [sic], Hawaii and Manila know it well as do the wronged Indian and outraged black man in the United StatesDouglass had a stroke in 1904 that greatly impacted his health and died four years later, at the age of 67.