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How this former enslaved person inspired others to fight for freedom. By C.M. Tomlin. Frederick Douglass was born an enslaved person in February 1818. When he was about eight, his owner sent...
Kids learn about the biography of Frederick Douglass an enslaved person who taught himself to read and then became a leader in fighting for the civil rights of African-Americans and women.
His brilliant speaking and writing made Frederick Douglass a leader of the movement to abolish slavery. Douglass was once enslaved himself. He was the first African American citizen to hold an important position in the U.S. government.
- Life as An Enslaved Person
- From Slavery to Freedom
- Abolitionist and Preacher
- Religious Views
- Civil War Years
- Reconstruction Era
- Family Life
- Final Years in Washington, D.C.
- Death
- Works
Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey was born enslaved on the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake Bay in Talbot County, Maryland. The plantation was between Hillsboro and Cordova; his birthplace was likely his grandmother's cabin east of Tappers Corner, and west of Tuckahoe Creek. In his first autobiography, Douglass stated: "I have no accurate knowled...
Douglass first tried to escape from Freeland, who had hired him from his owner, but was unsuccessful. In 1837, Douglass met and fell in love with Anna Murray, a free blackwoman in Baltimore about five years his senior. Her free status strengthened his belief in the possibility of gaining his own freedom. Murray encouraged him and supported his effo...
The couple settled in New Bedford, Massachusetts (an abolitionist center, full of former enslaved people), in 1838, moving to Lynn, Massachusetts, in 1841. After meeting and staying with Nathan and Mary Johnson, they adopted Douglass as their married name. Douglass had grown up using his mother's surname of Bailey; after escaping slavery he had cha...
As a child, Douglass was exposed to a number of religious sermons, and in his youth, he sometimes heard Sophia Auld reading the Bible. In time, he became interested in literacy; he began reading and copying bible verses, and he eventually converted to Christianity. He described this approach in his last biography, Life and Times of Frederick Dougla...
Before the Civil War
By the time of the Civil War, Douglass was one of the most famous black men in the country, known for his orations on the condition of the black race and on other issues such as women's rights. His eloquence gathered crowds at every location. His reception by leaders in England and Ireland added to his stature. He had been seriously proposed for the congressional seat of his friend and supporter Gerrit Smith, who declined to run again after his term ended in 1854. Smith recommended to him tha...
Fight for emancipation and suffrage
Douglass and the abolitionists argued that because the aim of the Civil War was to end slavery, African Americans should be allowed to engage in the fight for their freedom. Douglass publicized this view in his newspapers and several speeches. After Lincoln had finally allowed black soldiers to serve in the Union army, Douglass helped the recruitment efforts, publishing his famous broadside Men of Color to Arms! on March 21, 1863. His eldest son, Charles Douglass, joined the 54th Massachusett...
After Lincoln's death
The postwar ratification of the 13th Amendment, on December 6, 1865, outlawed slavery, "except as a punishment for crime." The 14th Amendment provided for birthright citizenship and prohibited the states from abridging the privileges and immunities of citizens of the United States or denying any "person" due process of law or equal protection of the laws. The 15th Amendmentprotected all citizens from being discriminated against in voting because of race. After Lincoln had been assassinated, D...
After the Civil War, Douglass continued to work for equality for African Americans and women. Due to his prominence and activism during the war, Douglass received several political appointments. He served as president of the Reconstruction-era Freedman's Savings Bank. Meanwhile, white insurgents had quickly arisen in the South after the war, organi...
Douglass and Anna Murray had five children: Rosetta Douglass, Lewis Henry Douglass, Frederick Douglass Jr., Charles Remond Douglass, and Annie Douglass (died at the age of ten). Charles and Rosetta helped produce his newspapers. Anna Douglass remained a loyal supporter of her husband's public work. His relationships with Julia Griffiths and Ottilie...
The Freedman's Savings Bank went bankrupt on June 29, 1874, just a few months after Douglass became its president in late March. During that same economic crisis, his final newspaper, The New National Era, failed in September. When Republican Rutherford B. Hayes was elected president, he named Douglass as United States Marshal for the District of C...
On February 20, 1895, Douglass attended a meeting of the National Council of Women in Washington, D.C. During that meeting, he was brought to the platform and received a standing ovation. Shortly after he returned home, Douglass died of a massive heart attack. He was 77. His funeral was held at the Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church. A...
Writings
1. 1845. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, Written by Himself(first autobiography). 2. 1853. "The Heroic Slave." pp. 174–239 in Autographs for Freedom, edited by Julia Griffiths. Boston: Jewett and Company. 3. 1855. My Bondage and My Freedom(second autobiography). 4. 1881 (revised 1892). Life and Times of Frederick Douglass(third and final autobiography). 5. 1847–1851. The North Star, an abolitionist newspaper founded and edited by Douglass. He merged the paper w...
Speeches
1. 1841. "The Church and Prejudice" 2. 1852. "What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?" In 2020, National Public Radio produced a video of descendants of Douglass reading excerpts from the speech. 3. 1859. Self-Made Men. 4. 1863, July 6. "Speech at National Hall, for the Promotion of Colored Enlistments." 5. 1881.
Having escaped from slavery, Frederick Douglass became one of the foremost Black abolitionists and civil rights leaders in the United States. His powerful speeches, newspaper articles, and books awakened white people to the evils of slavery and inspired Black people in their struggle for freedom and equality.
Feb 1, 2018 · 2.1K. 330K views 6 years ago American History for Children. Frederick Douglass was a famous speaker, writer, civil rights activist, and abolitionist. Born into slavery, he escaped to freedom...
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Jan 1, 2020 · In the years leading up to the Civil War, Frederick Douglass (February 1818—February 20, 1895) was the most powerful speaker and writer of the abolitionist movement. Frederick Douglass was born into slavery in Talbot County, Maryland. He was raised by his grandmother, who was a slave.
