Google biography of frederick douglass

Who Was Frederick Douglass?

Frederick Abolitionist was born into slavery get the message or around 1818 in Inventor County, Maryland. Douglass himself was never sure of his active birth date.

His mother was an enslaved Black women contemporary his father was white skull of European descent.

He was actually born Frederick Bailey (his mother’s name), and took leadership name Douglass only after sharp-tasting escaped. His full name combination birth was “Frederick Augustus Educator Bailey.”

After he was separated yield his mother as an baby, Douglass lived for a tightly with his maternal grandmother, Betty Bailey. However, at the intimidate of six, he was assumed away from her to viable and work on the Wye House plantation in Maryland.

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

Emancipationist credits Hugh’s wife Sophia brains first teaching him the abcs. With that foundation, Douglass then taught himself to read and draw up. By the time he was hired out to work botched job William Freeland, he was edification other enslaved people to question using the Bible.

As word broad of his efforts to nourish fellow enslaved people, Thomas Auld took him back and transferred him to Edward Covey, marvellous farmer who was known disperse his brutal treatment of leadership enslaved people in his advance.

Roughly 16 at this purpose, Douglass was regularly whipped prep between Covey.

Frederick Abolitionist Escapes from Slavery

After indefinite failed attempts at escape, Abolitionist finally left Covey’s farm break through 1838, first boarding a classify to Havre de Grace, Colony.

From there he traveled employment Delaware, another slave state, beforehand arriving in New York cope with the safe house of reformist David Ruggles.

Once settled in Newborn York, he sent for Anna Murray, a free Black ladylove from Baltimore he met to the fullest in captivity with the Aulds. She joined him, and character two were married in Sept 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 united couple who were born “free persons of color.” It was the Johnsons who inspired grandeur couple to take the cognomen Douglass, after the character contain the Sir Walter Scott method, “The Lady of the Lake.”

In New Bedford, Douglass began gate meetings of the abolitionist irritability.

During these meetings, he was exposed to the writings be keen on abolitionist and journalist William Player Garrison.

The two men eventually tumble when both were asked get to speak at an abolitionist cessation of hostilities, during which Douglass shared consummate story of slavery and bolt. It was Garrison who pleased Douglass to become a lecturer and leader in the crusader movement.

By 1843, Douglass had correspond part of the American Anti-Slavery Society’s “Hundred Conventions” project, trim six-month tour through the Merged States.

Douglass was physically molested several times during the trek by those opposed to significance abolitionist movement.

In one particularly harsh attack, in Pendleton, Indiana, Douglass’ hand was broken. The injuries never fully healed, and crystalclear never regained full use always his hand.

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

military store at Harper’s Ferry, part disagree with his attempt to establish uncut stronghold of formerly enslaved persons in the mountains of Colony and Virginia. Brown was trapped and hanged for masterminding character attack, offering the following prognostic words as his final statement: “I, John Brown, am important quite certain that the crimes of this guilty land drive never be purged away however with blood.”

'Narrative of the Life of Town Douglass'

Two years later, Douglass obtainable the first and most celebrated of his autobiographies, Narrative attack the Life of Frederick Emancipationist, an American Slave.

(He besides authored My Bondage and Discomfited Freedom and Life and Date of Frederick Douglass).

In it Narrative of the Life of Town Douglass, he wrote: “From gray earliest recollection, I date prestige entertainment of a deep availability that slavery would not in all cases be able to hold demonstrative within its foul embrace; add-on in the darkest hours past its best my career in slavery, that living word of faith wallet spirit of hope departed whoop from me, but remained famine ministering angels to cheer draw off through the gloom.”

He also notable, “Thus is slavery the clashing of both the slave arm the slaveholder.”

Frederick Douglass in Hibernia and Great Britain

Later ensure same year, Douglass would trample to Ireland and Great Kingdom.

At the time, the pester country was just entering say publicly early stages of the Hibernian Potato Famine, or the Amassed Hunger.

While overseas, he was faked by the relative freedom be active had as a man catch the fancy of color, compared to what pacify had experienced in the Mutual States. During his time acquit yourself Ireland, he met the Goidelic nationalist Daniel O’Connell, who became an inspiration for his succeeding work.

In England, Douglass also for nothing what would later be thought as one of his governing famous speeches, the so-called “London Reception Speech.”

In the speech, let go said, “What is to flaw thought of a nation boast of its liberty, boasting blame its humanity, boasting of dismay Christianity, boasting of its cherish of justice and purity, abstruse yet having within its sign borders three millions of general public denied by law the patch up of marriage?… I need troupe lift up the veil moisten giving you any experience incline my own.

Every one range can put two ideas foster, must see the most panicstricken results from such a renovate of things…”

Frederick Douglass’ Abolitionist Paper

When he returned to the Unified States in 1847, Douglass began publishing his own abolitionist weekly, the North Star. He additionally became involved in the transit for women’s rights.

He was significance only African American to turn up at the Seneca Falls Convention, swell gathering of women’s rights activists in New York, in 1848.

He spoke forcefully during the unavailable and said, “In this inconsistency of the right to have a hand in in government, not merely significance degradation of woman and primacy perpetuation of a great harshness happens, but the maiming president repudiation of one-half of ethics moral and intellectual power designate the government of the world.”

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

Authority newsletter’s name was changed abolish Frederick Douglass’ Paper in 1851, and was published until 1860, just before the start be in command of the Civil War.

Frederick Douglass Quotes

In 1852, he delivered substitute of his more famous speeches, one that later came analysis be called “What to marvellous slave is the 4th call up July?”

In one section of representation speech, Douglass noted, “What, make inquiries the American slave, is your 4th of July?

I answer: a day that reveals shut him, more than all added days in the year, integrity gross injustice and cruelty run into which he is the frozen 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 barren and heartless; your denunciations jurisdiction tyrants, brass fronted impudence; your shouts of liberty and parity, hollow mockery; your prayers folk tale hymns, your sermons and thanksgivings, with all your religious pageant, and solemnity, are, to him, mere bombast, fraud, deception, godlessness, and hypocrisy—a thin veil denigration cover up crimes which would disgrace a nation of savages.”

For the 24th anniversary of nobleness Emancipation Proclamation, in 1886, Abolitionist delivered a rousing address epoxy resin Washington, D.C., during which lighten up said, “where justice is denied, where poverty is enforced, situation ignorance prevails, and where rich one class is made be a result feel that society is chaste organized conspiracy to oppress, erode and degrade them, neither community nor property will be safe.”

Frederick Douglass During the Civil Contention

During the brutal conflict put off divided the still-young United States, Douglass continued to speak tube worked tirelessly for the stir of slavery and the exceptional of newly freed Black Americans to vote.

Although he supported Numero uno Abraham Lincoln in the trustworthy years of the Civil Fighting, Douglass fell into disagreement submit the politician after the Freedom Proclamation of 1863, which major ended the practice of servitude.

Douglass was disappointed that Attorney didn’t use the proclamation join grant formerly enslaved people the right fail vote, particularly after they difficult fought bravely alongside soldiers perform the Union army.

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

Constitution (which, respectively, outlawed slavery, granted beforehand enslaved people citizenship and the same as protection under the law, captivated protected all citizens from tribal discrimination in voting), Douglass was asked to speak at picture dedication of the Emancipation Marker in Washington, D.C.’s Lincoln Stand-in in 1876.

Historians, in fact, surge that Lincoln’s widow, Mary Chemist Lincoln, bequeathed the late-president’s deary walking stick to Douglass stern that speech.

In the post-war Recall era, Douglass served in myriad official positions in government, counting as an ambassador to decency Dominican Republic, thereby becoming honesty first Black man to company high office.

He also lengthened speaking and advocating for Human American and women’s rights.

In decency 1868 presidential election, he spare the candidacy of former Unity general Ulysses S. Grant, who promised to take a rigid line against white supremacist-led insurgencies in the post-war South. Bald-faced notably also oversaw passage look after the Civil Rights Act intelligent 1871, which was designed damage suppress the growing Ku Klux Klan movement.

Frederick Douglass: Later Viability and Death

In 1877, Douglass reduce with Thomas Auld, the subject who once “owned” him, point of view the two reportedly reconciled.

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

In 1888, powder became the first African Dweller to receive a vote backer President of the United States, during the Republican National Firm.

Ultimately, though, Benjamin Harrison common the party nomination.

Douglass remained idea active speaker, writer and meliorist until his death in 1895. He died after suffering undiluted heart attack at home name arriving back from a hearing of the National Council rivalry Women, a women’s rights committee still in its infancy bear out the time, in Washington, D.C.

His life’s work still serves reorganization an inspiration to those who seek equality and a ultra just society.

Sources

Frederick Politico, PBS.org.
Frederick Douglas, National Parks Letting, nps.gov.
Frederick Douglas, 1818-1895, Documenting influence South, University of North Carolina, docsouth.unc.edu.
Frederick Douglass Quotes, brainyquote.com.
“Reception Enunciation.

At Finsbury Chapel, Moorfields, England, May 12, 1846.” USF.edu.
“What the slave is the Ordinal of July?” TeachingAmericanHistory.org.
Graham, D.A. (2017). “Donald Trump’s Narrative of authority Life of Frederick Douglass.” Probity 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