FREDERICK DOUGLASS
Frederick Douglass was born in a slave cabin, in February, 1818, near
the town of Easton, on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Separated from his
mother when only a few weeks old he was raised by his grandparents. At about
the age of six, his grandmother took him to the plantation of his master and
left him there. Not being told by her that she was going to leave him,
Douglass never recovered from the betrayal of the abandonment. When he was
about eight he was sent to Baltimore to live as a houseboy with Hugh and
Sophia Auld, relatives of his master. It was shortly after his arrival that
his new mistress taught him the alphabet. When her husband forbade her to
continue her instruction, because it was unlawful to teach slaves how to read,
Frederick took it upon himself to learn. He made the neighborhood boys his
teachers, by giving away his food in exchange for lessons in reading and
writing. At about the age of twelve or thirteen Douglass purchased a copy of
The Columbian Orator, a popular schoolbook of the time, which helped him to
gain an understanding and appreciation of the power of the spoken and the
written word, as two of the most effective means by which to bring about
permanent, positive change.
Returning to the Eastern Shore, at approximately the age of fifteen,
Douglass became a field hand, and experienced most of the horrifying
conditions that plagued slaves during the 270 years of legalized slavery in
America. But it was during this time that he had an encounter with the
slavebreaker Edward Covey. Their fight ended in a draw, but the victory was
Douglass', as his challenge to the slavebreaker restored his sense of
self-worth. After an aborted escape attempt when he was about eighteen, he was
sent back to Baltimore to live with the Auld family, and in early September,
1838, at the age of twenty, Douglass succeeded in escaping from slavery by
impersonating a sailor.
He went first to New Bedford, Massachusetts, where he and his new
wife Anna Murray began to raise a family. Whenever he could he attended
abolitionist meetings, and, in October, 1841, after attending an anti-slavery
convention on Nantucket Island, Douglass became a lecturer for the
Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society and a colleague of William Lloyd Garrison.
This work led him into public speaking and writing. He published his own
newspaper, The North Star, participated in the first women's rights convention
at Seneca Falls, in 1848, and wrote three autobiographies. He was
internationally recognized as an uncompromising abolitionist, indefatigable
worker for justice and equal opportunity, and an unyielding defender of
women's rights. He became a trusted advisor to Abraham Lincoln, United States
Marshal for the District of Columbia, Recorder of Deeds for Washington, D.C.,
and Minister-General to the Republic of Haiti.
Frederick Douglass was born in a slave cabin, in February, 1818, near
the town of Easton, on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Separated from his
mother when only a few weeks old he was raised by his grandparents. At about
the age of six, his grandmother took him to the plantation of his master and
left him there. Not being told by her that she was going to leave him,
Douglass never recovered from the betrayal of the abandonment. When he was
about eight he was sent to Baltimore to live as a houseboy with Hugh and
Sophia Auld, relatives of his master. It was shortly after his arrival that
his new mistress taught him the alphabet. When her husband forbade her to
continue her instruction, because it was unlawful to teach slaves how to read,
Frederick took it upon himself to learn. He made the neighborhood boys his
teachers, by giving away his food in exchange for lessons in reading and
writing. At about the age of twelve or thirteen Douglass purchased a copy of
The Columbian Orator, a popular schoolbook of the time, which helped him to
gain an understanding and appreciation of the power of the spoken and the
written word, as two of the most effective means by which to bring about
permanent, positive change.
Returning to the Eastern Shore, at approximately the age of fifteen,
Douglass became a field hand, and experienced most of the horrifying
conditions that plagued slaves during the 270 years of legalized slavery in
America. But it was during this time that he had an encounter with the
slavebreaker Edward Covey. Their fight ended in a draw, but the victory was
Douglass', as his challenge to the slavebreaker restored his sense of
self-worth. After an aborted escape attempt when he was about eighteen, he was
sent back to Baltimore to live with the Auld family, and in early September,
1838, at the age of twenty, Douglass succeeded in escaping from slavery by
impersonating a sailor.
He went first to New Bedford, Massachusetts, where he and his new
wife Anna Murray began to raise a family. Whenever he could he attended
abolitionist meetings, and, in October, 1841, after attending an anti-slavery
convention on Nantucket Island, Douglass became a lecturer for the
Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society and a colleague of William Lloyd Garrison.
This work led him into public speaking and writing. He published his own
newspaper, The North Star, participated in the first women's rights convention
at Seneca Falls, in 1848, and wrote three autobiographies. He was
internationally recognized as an uncompromising abolitionist, indefatigable
worker for justice and equal opportunity, and an unyielding defender of
women's rights. He became a trusted advisor to Abraham Lincoln, United States
Marshal for the District of Columbia, Recorder of Deeds for Washington, D.C.,
and Minister-General to the Republic of Haiti.