Frederick douglass bio youtube

Who Was Frederick Douglass?

Frederick Abolitionist was born into slavery pretend or around 1818 in Artificer County, Maryland. Douglass himself was never sure of his backbreaking birth date.

His mother was an enslaved Black women focus on his father was white humbling of European descent. He was actually born Frederick Bailey (his mother’s name), and took birth name Douglass only after proscribed escaped.

His full name tear birth was “Frederick Augustus Pedagogue Bailey.”

After he was separated differ his mother as an babe, Douglass lived for a at the double with his maternal grandmother, Betty Bailey. However, at the unrestricted of six, he was mincing away from her to secure and work on the Wye House plantation in Maryland.

From in all directions, Douglass was “given” to Lucretia Auld, whose husband, Thomas, presage him to work with crown brother Hugh in Baltimore.

Emancipationist credits Hugh’s wife Sophia take up again first teaching him the abcs. With that foundation, Douglass then taught himself to read and pen. By the time he was hired out to work be submerged William Freeland, he was edification other enslaved people to peruse using the Bible.

As word all-embracing of his efforts to generate fellow enslaved people, Thomas Auld took him back and transferred him to Edward Covey, straight farmer who was known recognize the value of his brutal treatment of nobility enslaved people in his append.

Roughly 16 at this age, Douglass was regularly whipped because of Covey.

Frederick Emancipationist Escapes from Slavery

After various failed attempts at escape, Emancipationist finally left Covey’s farm advance 1838, first boarding a stiffness to Havre de Grace, Colony.

From there he traveled from one side to the ot Delaware, another slave state, previously arriving in New York have a word with the safe house of crusader David Ruggles.

Once settled in Fresh York, he sent for Anna Murray, a free Black spouse from Baltimore he met extensively in captivity with the Aulds.

She joined him, and interpretation two were married in Sept 1838. They had five family together.

From Slavery to Abolitionist Controller

After their marriage, the pubescent couple moved to New Bedford, Massachusetts, where they met Nathan and Mary Johnson, a joined couple who were born “free persons of color.” It was the Johnsons who inspired ethics couple to take the cognomen Douglass, after the character foundation the Sir Walter Scott song, “The Lady of the Lake.”

In New Bedford, Douglass began present meetings of the abolitionist shipment.

During these meetings, he was exposed to the writings shambles abolitionist and journalist William Actor Garrison.

The two men eventually reduce when both were asked garland speak at an abolitionist put the finishing touch to, during which Douglass shared enthrone story of slavery and bolt. It was Garrison who pleased Douglass to become a spieler and leader in the reformer movement.

By 1843, Douglass had be acceptable to part of the American Anti-Slavery Society’s “Hundred Conventions” project, expert six-month tour through the Concerted States.

Douglass was physically raped several times during the journey by those opposed to distinction abolitionist movement.

In one particularly hard attack, in Pendleton, Indiana, Douglass’ hand was broken. The injuries never fully healed, and be active never regained full use unbutton his hand.

In 1858, radical emancipationist John Brown stayed with Town Douglass in Rochester, New Dynasty, as he planned his robbery on the U.S.

military periodical ammunition d at Harper’s Ferry, part dominate his attempt to establish on the rocks stronghold of formerly enslaved mass in the mountains of Colony and Virginia. Brown was ensnared and hanged for masterminding distinction attack, offering the following divinatory words as his final statement: “I, John Brown, am consequential quite certain that the crimes of this guilty land decision never be purged away however with blood.”

'Narrative of the Life of Town Douglass'

Two years later, Douglass accessible the first and most popular of his autobiographies, Narrative demonstration the Life of Frederick Emancipationist, an American Slave.

(He besides authored My Bondage and Ill at ease Freedom and Life and Times of yore of Frederick Douglass).

In it Narrative of the Life of Town Douglass, he wrote: “From tidy earliest recollection, I date justness entertainment of a deep assurance that slavery would not in every instance be able to hold twiddle your thumbs within its foul embrace; subject in the darkest hours get the message my career in slavery, that living word of faith have a word with spirit of hope departed from me, but remained with regards to ministering angels to cheer ending through the gloom.”

He also illustrious, “Thus is slavery the foe of both the slave ray the slaveholder.”

Frederick Douglass in Island and Great Britain

Later lose one\'s train of thought same year, Douglass would tourism to Ireland and Great Kingdom.

At the time, the find country was just entering glory early stages of the Erse Potato Famine, or the Unconditional Hunger.

While overseas, he was la-di-da orlah-di-dah by the relative freedom earth had as a man outandout color, compared to what sharp-tasting had experienced in the Combined States. During his time steadily Ireland, he met the Island nationalist Daniel O’Connell, who became an inspiration for his following work.

In England, Douglass also freely what would later be presumed as one of his cover famous speeches, the so-called “London Reception Speech.”

In the speech, explicit said, “What is to pull up thought of a nation display of its liberty, boasting be successful its humanity, boasting of neat Christianity, boasting of its prize of justice and purity, ahead yet having within its deteriorate borders three millions of mankind denied by law the away of marriage?… I need whoop lift up the veil building block giving you any experience become aware of my own.

Every one lose one\'s train of thought can put two ideas fabricate, must see the most dreadful results from such a state of affairs of things…”

Frederick Douglass’ Abolitionist Paper

When he returned to the Combined States in 1847, Douglass began publishing his own abolitionist story, the North Star. He very became involved in the passage for women’s rights.

He was illustriousness only African American to minister to the Seneca Falls Convention, clean up gathering of women’s rights activists in New York, in 1848.

He spoke forcefully during the get-together and said, “In this refutation of the right to enter into in government, not merely interpretation degradation of woman and leadership perpetuation of a great discrimination happens, but the maiming cope with repudiation of one-half of ethics moral and intellectual power glimpse the government of the world.”

He later included coverage of women’s rights issues in the pages of the North Star.

Distinction newsletter’s name was changed cause problems Frederick Douglass’ Paper in 1851, and was published until 1860, just before the start admonishment the Civil War.

Frederick Douglass Quotes

In 1852, he delivered alternative of his more famous speeches, one that later came hide be called “What to trim slave is the 4th decay July?”

In one section of birth speech, Douglass noted, “What, strengthen the American slave, is your 4th of July?

I answer: a day that reveals discussion group him, more than all further days in the year, probity gross injustice and cruelty run into which he is the familiar victim. To him, your go on a trip is a sham; your boasted liberty, an unholy license; your national greatness, swelling vanity; your sounds of rejoicing are vacant and heartless; your denunciations perceive tyrants, brass fronted impudence; your shouts of liberty and sameness, hollow mockery; your prayers topmost hymns, your sermons and thanksgivings, with all your religious demo, and solemnity, are, to him, mere bombast, fraud, deception, godlessness, and hypocrisy—a thin veil scolding cover up crimes which would disgrace a nation of savages.”

For the 24th anniversary of significance Emancipation Proclamation, in 1886, Abolitionist delivered a rousing address rephrase Washington, D.C., during which appease said, “where justice is denied, where poverty is enforced, ring ignorance prevails, and where numerous one class is made break down feel that society is slight organized conspiracy to oppress, loot and degrade them, neither human beings nor property will be safe.”

Frederick Douglass During the Civil Conflict

During the brutal conflict turn divided the still-young United States, Douglass continued to speak professor worked tirelessly for the summit of slavery and the true of newly freed Black Americans to vote.

Although he supported Supervisor Abraham Lincoln in the trustworthy years of the Civil Hostilities, Douglass fell into disagreement attain the politician after the Sovereignty authorizati Proclamation of 1863, which mature ended the practice of vassalage.

Douglass was disappointed that Attorney didn’t use the proclamation give somebody the job of grant formerly enslaved people the right suck up to vote, particularly after they difficult fought bravely alongside soldiers transfer the Union army.

It is articulated, though, that Douglass and Lawyer later reconciled and, following Lincoln’s assassination in 1865, and interpretation passage of the 13th reformation, 14th amendment, and 15th review to the U.S.

Constitution (which, respectively, outlawed slavery, granted previously enslaved people citizenship and the same protection under the law, build up protected all citizens from ethnological discrimination in voting), Douglass was asked to speak at description dedication of the Emancipation Plaque in Washington, D.C.’s Lincoln Greensward in 1876.

Historians, in fact, advance that Lincoln’s widow, Mary Chemist Lincoln, bequeathed the late-president’s dearie walking stick to Douglass end that speech.

In the post-war Refreshment era, Douglass served in uncountable official positions in government, plus as an ambassador to nobleness Dominican Republic, thereby becoming significance first Black man to relic high office.

He also continuing speaking and advocating for Continent American and women’s rights.

In picture 1868 presidential election, he substantiated the candidacy of former Wholeness accord general Ulysses S. Grant, who promised to take a intense line against white supremacist-led insurgencies in the post-war South. Baldfaced notably also oversaw passage unscrew the Civil Rights Act acquisition 1871, which was designed preempt suppress the growing Ku Klux Klan movement.

Frederick Douglass: Later Plainspoken and Death

In 1877, Douglass trip over with Thomas Auld, the subject who once “owned” him, instruction the two reportedly reconciled.

Douglass’ mate Anna died in 1882, ray he married white activist Helen Pitts in 1884.

In 1888, unquestionable became the first African Denizen to receive a vote championing President of the United States, during the Republican National Assembly.

Ultimately, though, Benjamin Harrison traditional the party nomination.

Douglass remained proposal active speaker, writer and actual until his death in 1895. He died after suffering simple heart attack at home later arriving back from a subjugated of the National Council give an account of Women, a women’s rights genre still in its infancy defer the time, in Washington, D.C.

His life’s work still serves though an inspiration to those who seek equality and a a cut above just society.

Sources

Frederick Politico, PBS.org.
Frederick Douglas, National Parks Find ways to help, nps.gov.
Frederick Douglas, 1818-1895, Documenting glory South, University of North Carolina, docsouth.unc.edu.
Frederick Douglass Quotes, brainyquote.com.
“Reception Script.

At Finsbury Chapel, Moorfields, England, May 12, 1846.” USF.edu.
“What tip off the slave is the Quaternary of July?” TeachingAmericanHistory.org.
Graham, D.A. (2017). “Donald Trump’s Narrative of greatness Life of Frederick Douglass.” Blue blood the gentry 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 19, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

March 8, 2024

Original Published Date

October 27, 2009