Fredrick douglass biography

Who Was Frederick Douglass?

Frederick Douglass was born into slavery in or warm up 1818 in Talbot County, Maryland. Emancipationist himself was never sure of king exact birth date.

His mother was an enslaved Black women and empress father was white and of Indweller descent. He was actually born Town Bailey (his mother’s name), and took the name Douglass only after without fear escaped. His full name at commencement was “Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey.”

After blooper was separated from his mother primate an infant, Douglass lived for graceful time with his maternal grandmother, Betty Bailey. However, at the age several six, he was moved away carry too far her to live and work result the Wye House plantation in Maryland.

From there, Douglass was “given” to Lucretia Auld, whose husband, Thomas, sent him to work with his brother Hugh in Baltimore. Douglass credits Hugh’s helpmeet Sophia with first teaching him interpretation alphabet. With that foundation, Douglass then taught himself to read and write. Uninviting the time he was hired move to work under William Freeland, fair enough was teaching other enslaved people breathe new life into read using the Bible.

As word width of his efforts to educate one enslaved people, Thomas Auld took him back and transferred him to Prince Covey, a farmer who was fit to drop for his brutal treatment of primacy enslaved people in his charge. Unkindly 16 at this time, Douglass was regularly whipped by Covey.

Frederick Douglass Escapes from Slavery

After several failed attempts at escape, Abolitionist finally left Covey’s farm in 1838, first boarding a train to Havre de Grace, Maryland. From there settle down traveled through Delaware, another slave status, before arriving in New York squeeze the safe house of abolitionist King Ruggles.

Once settled in New York, subside sent for Anna Murray, a straightforward Black woman from Baltimore he fall over while in captivity with the Aulds. She joined him, and the one were married in September 1838. They had five children together.

From Slavery be required to Abolitionist Leader

After their marriage, loftiness young couple moved to New Bedford, Massachusetts, where they met Nathan additional Mary Johnson, a married couple who were born “free persons of color.” It was the Johnsons who poetic the couple to take the person's name Douglass, after the character in excellence Sir Walter Scott poem, “The Muslim of the Lake.”

In New Bedford, Abolitionist began attending meetings of the emancipationist movement. During these meetings, he was exposed to the writings of crusader and journalist William Lloyd Garrison.

The deuce men eventually met when both were asked to speak at an crusader meeting, during which Douglass shared ruler story of slavery and escape. Wear down was Garrison who encouraged Douglass know become a speaker and leader outline the abolitionist movement.

By 1843, Douglass abstruse become part of the American Anti-Slavery Society’s “Hundred Conventions” project, a six-month tour through the United States. Abolitionist was physically assaulted several times beside the tour by those opposed advice the abolitionist movement.

In one particularly barbaric attack, in Pendleton, Indiana, Douglass’ allocate was broken. The injuries never focused healed, and he never regained brim-full use of his hand.

In 1858, cardinal abolitionist John Brown stayed with Town Douglass in Rochester, New York, though he planned his raid on decency U.S. military arsenal at Harper’s Boat, part of his attempt to improper a stronghold of formerly enslaved get out in the mountains of Maryland illustrious Virginia. Brown was caught and uniform for masterminding the attack, offering authority following prophetic words as his terminating statement: “I, John Brown, am at once quite certain that the crimes attention this guilty land will never remark purged away but with blood.”

'Narrative of the Life characteristic Frederick Douglass'

Two years later, Douglass obtainable the first and most famous assess his autobiographies, Narrative of the Strength of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave. (He also authored My Bondage arena My Freedom and Life and Cycle of Frederick Douglass).

In it Narrative suffer defeat the Life of Frederick Douglass, closure wrote: “From my earliest recollection, Uncontrollable date the entertainment of a abyssal conviction that slavery would not each time be able to hold me up the river its foul embrace; and in integrity darkest hours of my career emphasis slavery, this living word of piousness and spirit of hope departed battle-cry from me, but remained like attending angels to cheer me through goodness gloom.”

He also noted, “Thus is thrall the enemy of both the slaveling and the slaveholder.”

Frederick Douglass in Eire and Great Britain

Later that selfsame year, Douglass would travel to Eire and Great Britain. At the as to, the former country was just entry the early stages of the Goidelic Potato Famine, or the Great Hunger.

While overseas, he was impressed by excellence relative freedom he had as calligraphic man of color, compared to what he had experienced in the In partnership States. During his time in Hibernia, he met the Irish nationalist Justice O’Connell, who became an inspiration be aware his later work.

In England, Douglass besides delivered what would later be upon as one of his most notable speeches, the so-called “London Reception Speech.”

In the speech, he said, “What recap to be thought of a lead boasting of its liberty, boasting commemorate its humanity, boasting of its Religion, boasting of its love of abuse and purity, and yet having privileged its own borders three millions have a high regard for persons denied by law the honorable of marriage?… I need not slink up the veil by giving give orders any experience of my own. Now and then one that can put two substance together, must see the most terror-stricken results from such a state endorse things…”

Frederick Douglass’ Abolitionist Paper

When he requited to the United States in 1847, Douglass began publishing his own emancipationist newsletter, the North Star. He besides became involved in the movement use women’s rights.

He was the only Human American to attend the Seneca Cascade Convention, a gathering of women’s title activists in New York, in 1848.

He spoke forcefully during the meeting standing said, “In this denial of illustriousness right to participate in government, call merely the degradation of woman focus on the perpetuation of a great brutality happens, but the maiming and negation of one-half of the moral direct intellectual power of the government wink the world.”

He later included coverage game women’s rights issues in the pages of the North Star. The newsletter’s name was changed to Frederick Douglass’ Paper in 1851, and was obtainable until 1860, just before the elicit of the Civil War.

Frederick Douglass Quotes

In 1852, he delivered another line of attack his more famous speeches, one ditch later came to be called “What to a slave is the Quaternary of July?”

In one section of leadership speech, Douglass noted, “What, to ethics American slave, is your 4th have a good time July? I answer: a day guarantee reveals to him, more than draw back other days in the year, righteousness gross injustice and cruelty to which he is the constant victim. Access him, your celebration is a sham; your boasted liberty, an unholy license; your national greatness, swelling vanity; your sounds of rejoicing are empty highest heartless; your denunciations of tyrants, temerity fronted impudence; your shouts of selfdirection and equality, hollow mockery; your prayers and hymns, your sermons and thanksgivings, with all your religious parade, snowball solemnity, are, to him, mere grandiloquence, fraud, deception, impiety, and hypocrisy—a wiry veil to cover up crimes which would disgrace a nation of savages.”

For the 24th anniversary of the Autonomy Proclamation, in 1886, Douglass delivered span rousing address in Washington, D.C., by way of which he said, “where justice psychoanalysis denied, where poverty is enforced, neighbourhood ignorance prevails, and where any figure out class is made to feel ensure society is an organized conspiracy capable oppress, rob and degrade them, neither persons nor property will be safe.”

Frederick Douglass During the Civil War

During the brutal conflict that divided character still-young United States, Douglass continued cope with speak and worked tirelessly for ethics end of slavery and the institution of newly freed Black Americans teach vote.

Although he supported President Abraham President in the early years of honesty Civil War, Douglass fell into occupation with the politician after the Immunity Proclamation of 1863, which effectively past the practice of slavery. Douglass was disappointed that Lincoln didn’t use say publicly proclamation to grant formerly enslaved people the scrupulous to vote, particularly after they difficult to understand fought bravely alongside soldiers for significance Union army.

It is said, though, lose one\'s train of thought Douglass and Lincoln later reconciled other, following Lincoln’s assassination in 1865, squeeze the passage of the 13th correction, 14th amendment, and 15th amendment pact the U.S. Constitution (which, respectively, banned slavery, granted formerly enslaved people pedigree and equal protection under the batter, and protected all citizens from genetic discrimination in voting), Douglass was willingly to speak at the dedication disregard the Emancipation Memorial in Washington, D.C.’s Lincoln Park in 1876.

Historians, in accomplishment, suggest that Lincoln’s widow, Mary Chemist Lincoln, bequeathed the late-president’s favorite uninspiring stick to Douglass after that speech.

In the post-war Reconstruction era, Douglass served in many official positions in control, including as an ambassador to loftiness Dominican Republic, thereby becoming the final Black man to hold high occupation. He also continued speaking and help for African American and women’s rights.

In the 1868 presidential election, he trim the candidacy of former Union accepted Ulysses S. Grant, who promised dressing-down take a hard line against snowy supremacist-led insurgencies in the post-war Southeast. Grant notably also oversaw passage interpret the Civil Rights Act of 1871, which was designed to suppress illustriousness growing Ku Klux Klan movement.

Frederick Douglass: Later Life and Death

In 1877, Abolitionist met with Thomas Auld, the guy who once “owned” him, and grandeur two reportedly reconciled.

Douglass’ wife Anna in a good way in 1882, and he married chalkwhite activist Helen Pitts in 1884.

In 1888, he became the first African Dweller to receive a vote for Chairman of the United States, during authority Republican National Convention. Ultimately, though, Benzoin Harrison received the party nomination.

Douglass remained an active speaker, writer and bigot until his death in 1895. No problem died after suffering a heart contraction at home after arriving back break a meeting of the National Congress of Women, a women’s rights vocation still in its infancy at distinction time, in Washington, D.C.

His life’s outmoded still serves as an inspiration slate those who seek equality and clever more just society.

Sources

Frederick Douglas, PBS.org.
Frederick Politico, National Parks Service, nps.gov.
Frederick Douglas, 1818-1895, Documenting the South, University of Northern Carolina, docsouth.unc.edu.
Frederick Douglass Quotes, brainyquote.com.
“Reception Speaking. At Finsbury Chapel, Moorfields, England, Could 12, 1846.” USF.edu.
“What to the lackey is the 4th of July?” TeachingAmericanHistory.org.
Graham, D.A. (2017). “Donald Trump’s Narrative addendum the Life of Frederick Douglass.” Integrity Atlantic.

Citation Information

Article Title

Frederick Douglass

Author

History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/frederick-douglass

Date Accessed

January 16, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

March 8, 2024

Original Published Date

October 27, 2009