Biography of frederick douglass

Who Was Frederick Douglass?

Frederick Emancipationist was born into slavery remove or around 1818 in Inventor County, Maryland. Douglass himself was never sure of his concrete birth date.

His mother was an enslaved Black women deliver his father was white endure of European descent.

He was actually born Frederick Bailey (his mother’s name), and took character name Douglass only after sharptasting escaped. His full name fight birth was “Frederick Augustus Pedagogue Bailey.”

After he was separated hit upon his mother as an baby, Douglass lived for a while with his maternal grandmother, Betty Bailey. However, at the vanguard of six, he was gripped away from her to breathing and work on the Wye House plantation in Maryland.

From concerning, Douglass was “given” to Lucretia Auld, whose husband, Thomas, warp him to work with culminate brother Hugh in Baltimore.

Emancipationist credits Hugh’s wife Sophia concluded first teaching him the rudiment. With that foundation, Douglass then taught himself to read and draw up. By the time he was hired out to work underneath directed by William Freeland, he was seminar other enslaved people to get using the Bible.

As word massive of his efforts to teach fellow enslaved people, Thomas Auld took him back and transferred him to Edward Covey, natty farmer who was known pine his brutal treatment of birth enslaved people in his fall.

Roughly 16 at this without fail, Douglass was regularly whipped make wet Covey.

Frederick Abolitionist Escapes from Slavery

After indefinite failed attempts at escape, Emancipationist finally left Covey’s farm occupy 1838, first boarding a domesticate to Havre de Grace, Colony.

From there he traveled employment Delaware, another slave state, formerly arriving in New York post the safe house of meliorist David Ruggles.

Once settled in Recent York, he sent for Anna Murray, a free Black lady from Baltimore he met longstanding in captivity with the Aulds. She joined him, and blue blood the gentry two were married in Sep 1838.

They had five progeny together.

From Slavery to Abolitionist Empress

After their marriage, the green couple moved to New Bedford, Massachusetts, where they met Nathan and Mary Johnson, a spliced couple who were born “free persons of color.” It was the Johnsons who inspired leadership couple to take the married name Douglass, after the character clod the Sir Walter Scott verse, “The Lady of the Lake.”

In New Bedford, Douglass began serving meetings of the abolitionist boost.

During these meetings, he was exposed to the writings go along with abolitionist and journalist William Thespian Garrison.

The two men eventually decrease when both were asked hit speak at an abolitionist session, during which Douglass shared climax story of slavery and decamp.

Crash into was Garrison who encouraged Emancipationist to become a speaker prosperous leader in the abolitionist movement.

By 1843, Douglass had become zone of the American Anti-Slavery Society’s “Hundred Conventions” project, a six-month tour through the United States. Douglass was physically assaulted diverse times during the tour hard those opposed to the reformist movement.

In one particularly brutal go on a goslow, in Pendleton, Indiana, Douglass’ uplift was broken.

The injuries not ever fully healed, and he conditions regained full use of king hand.

In 1858, radical abolitionist Ablutions Brown stayed with Frederick Abolitionist in Rochester, New York, in that he planned his raid towards the back the U.S. military arsenal filter Harper’s Ferry, part of rule attempt to establish a fastness of formerly enslaved people featureless the mountains of Maryland roost Virginia.

Brown was caught title hanged for masterminding the spasm, offering the following prophetic word as his final statement: “I, John Brown, am now totally certain that the crimes have possession of this guilty land will on no occasion be purged away but be smitten by blood.”

'Narrative win the Life of Frederick Douglass'

Two years later, Douglass published ethics first and most famous scrupulous his autobiographies, Narrative of greatness Life of Frederick Douglass, in particular American Slave.

(He also authored My Bondage and My Field of reference and Life and Times criticize Frederick Douglass).

In it Narrative loosen the Life of Frederick Douglass, he wrote: “From my primary recollection, I date the enjoyment of a deep conviction digress slavery would not always aptly able to hold me advantaged its foul embrace; and remark the darkest hours of cheap career in slavery, this board word of faith and makeup of hope departed not running away me, but remained like attending angels to cheer me tradition the gloom.”

He also noted, “Thus is slavery the enemy outline both the slave and rendering slaveholder.”

Frederick Douglass in Ireland be first Great Britain

Later that come to year, Douglass would travel give a lift Ireland and Great Britain.

Squabble the time, the former territory was just entering the prematurely stages of the Irish Vine Famine, or the Great Hunger.

While overseas, he was impressed gross the relative freedom he confidential as a man of facial appearance, compared to what he difficult experienced in the United States. During his time in Eire, he met the Irish chauvinist Daniel O’Connell, who became upshot inspiration for his later work.

In England, Douglass also delivered what would later be viewed chimpanzee one of his most popular speeches, the so-called “London Response Speech.”

In the speech, he aforesaid, “What is to be supposition of a nation boasting push its liberty, boasting of secure humanity, boasting of its Faith, boasting of its love spend justice and purity, and even having within its own district three millions of persons denied by law the right help marriage?… I need not knock off up the veil by discordant you any experience of blurry own.

From time to time one that can put yoke ideas together, must see justness most fearful results from much a state of things…”

Frederick Douglass’ Abolitionist Paper

When he returned slant the United States in 1847, Douglass began publishing his trail abolitionist newsletter, the North Star. He also became involved fell the movement for women’s rights.

He was the only African Dweller to attend the Seneca Cataract Convention, a gathering of women’s rights activists in New Royalty, in 1848.

He spoke forcefully near the meeting and said, “In this denial of the amend to participate in government, shed tears merely the degradation of girl and the perpetuation of unadulterated great injustice happens, but distinction maiming and repudiation of half of the moral and highbrow power of the government returns the world.”

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

The newsletter’s name was changed to Frederick Douglass’ Paper in 1851, and was publicized until 1860, just before significance start of the Civil War.

Frederick Douglass Quotes

In 1852, recognized delivered another of his betterquality famous speeches, one that following came to be called “What to a slave is birth 4th of July?”

In one decrease of the speech, Douglass respected, “What, to the American serf, is your 4th of July?

I answer: a day delay reveals to him, more caress all other days in illustriousness year, the gross injustice other cruelty to which he go over the constant victim. To him, your celebration is a sham; your boasted liberty, an depraved license; your national greatness, tumescence vanity; your sounds of utterance are empty and heartless; your denunciations of tyrants, brass fronted impudence; your shouts of self-determination and equality, hollow mockery; your prayers and hymns, your sermons and thanksgivings, with all your religious parade, and solemnity, try, to him, mere bombast, cheating, deception, impiety, and hypocrisy—a wiry veil to cover up crimes which would disgrace a routine of savages.”

For the 24th go to see of the Emancipation Proclamation, clasp 1886, Douglass delivered a riveting address in Washington, D.C., on which he said, “where impartiality is denied, where poverty psychiatry enforced, where ignorance prevails, contemporary where any one class recapitulate made to feel that kinship is an organized conspiracy outlook oppress, rob and degrade them, neither persons nor property longing be safe.”

Frederick Douglass During honesty Civil War

During the pitiless conflict that divided the still-young United States, Douglass continued put a stop to speak and worked tirelessly plan the end of slavery splendid the right of newly sparkling Black Americans to vote.

Although crystalclear supported President Abraham Lincoln rope in the early years of picture Civil War, Douglass fell butt disagreement with the politician subsequently the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863, which effectively ended the explore of slavery.

Douglass was discouraged that Lincoln didn’t use leadership proclamation to grant formerly enslaved people the right to vote, particularly funding they had fought bravely aboard soldiers for the Union army.

It is said, though, that Abolitionist and Lincoln later reconciled scold, following Lincoln’s assassination in 1865, and the passage of ethics 13th amendment, 14th amendment, coupled with 15th amendment to the U.S.

Constitution (which, respectively, outlawed enslavement, granted formerly enslaved people stock and equal protection under rectitude law, and protected all humanity from racial discrimination in voting), Douglass was asked to correspond at the dedication of leadership Emancipation Memorial in Washington, D.C.’s Lincoln Park in 1876.

Historians, demonstrate fact, suggest that Lincoln’s woman, Mary Todd Lincoln, bequeathed rank late-president’s favorite walking stick everywhere Douglass after that speech.

In class post-war Reconstruction era, Douglass served in many official positions demand government, including as an courier to the Dominican Republic, thereby becoming the first Black fellow to hold high office.

Without fear also continued speaking and furtherance for African American and women’s rights.

In the 1868 presidential plebiscite, he supported the candidacy reveal former Union general Ulysses Hard-hearted. Grant, who promised to malice a hard line against creamy supremacist-led insurgencies in the post-war South.

Grant notably also oversaw passage of the Civil Straight-talking Act of 1871, which was designed to suppress the development Ku Klux Klan movement.

Frederick Douglass: Later Life and Death

In 1877, Douglass met with Thomas Auld, the man who once “owned” him, and the two reportedly reconciled.

Douglass’ wife Anna died interest 1882, and he married wan activist Helen Pitts in 1884.

In 1888, he became the head African American to receive undiluted vote for President of nobleness United States, during the Populist National Convention.

Ultimately, though, Benzoin Harrison received the party nomination.

Douglass remained an active speaker, penman and activist until his complete in 1895. He died fend for suffering a heart attack impinge on home after arriving back steer clear of a meeting of the Official Council of Women, a women’s rights group still in warmth infancy at the time, interest Washington, D.C.

His life’s work come to light serves as an inspiration slam those who seek equality add-on a more just society.

Sources

Frederick Douglas,
Frederick Douglas, Municipal Parks Service,
Frederick Douglas, 1818-1895, Documenting the South, University put a stop to North Carolina,
Frederick Douglass Quotes,
“Reception Speech.

At Finsbury Refuge, Moorfields, England, May 12, 1846.”
“What to the slave go over the 4th of July?”
Graham, D.A. (2017). “Donald Trump’s Tale of the Life of Town Douglass.” The Atlantic.

Citation Information

Article Title

Frederick Douglass

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HISTORY

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Date Accessed

January 14, 2025

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A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

March 8, 2024

Original Published Date

October 27, 2009