Frederick Bailey Douglass
Frederick Douglass (born Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey; c. February 1818 – February 20, 1895) was an American social reformer, abolitionist, orator, writer, and statesman. After escaping from slavery in Maryland, he became a national leader of the abolitionist movement in Massachusetts and New York, gaining note for his oratory
and incisive antislavery writings. In his time, he was described by
abolitionists as a living counter-example to slaveholders' arguments
that slaves lacked the intellectual capacity to function as independent
American citizens. Northerners at the time found it hard to believe that such a great orator had once been a slave.
Douglass wrote several autobiographies. He described his experiences as a slave in his 1845 autobiography, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, which became a bestseller, and was influential in promoting the cause of abolition, as was his second book, My Bondage and My Freedom (1855). After the Civil War, Douglass remained an active campaigner against slavery and wrote his last autobiography, Life and Times of Frederick Douglass. First published in 1881 and revised in 1892, three years before his death, it covered events during and after the Civil War. Douglass also actively supported women's suffrage, and held several public offices. Without his approval, Douglass became the first African American nominated for Vice President of the United States as the running mate and Vice Presidential nominee of Victoria Woodhull, on the Equal Rights Party ticket.
Douglass was a firm believer in the equality of all peoples, whether black, female, Native American, or recent immigrant. He was also a believer in dialogue and in making alliances across racial and ideological divides, and in the liberal values of the U.S. Constitution. When radical abolitionists, under the motto "No Union With Slaveholders", criticized Douglass' willingness to dialogue with slave owners, he famously replied: "I would unite with anybody to do right and with nobody to do wrong."
Douglass wrote several autobiographies. He described his experiences as a slave in his 1845 autobiography, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, which became a bestseller, and was influential in promoting the cause of abolition, as was his second book, My Bondage and My Freedom (1855). After the Civil War, Douglass remained an active campaigner against slavery and wrote his last autobiography, Life and Times of Frederick Douglass. First published in 1881 and revised in 1892, three years before his death, it covered events during and after the Civil War. Douglass also actively supported women's suffrage, and held several public offices. Without his approval, Douglass became the first African American nominated for Vice President of the United States as the running mate and Vice Presidential nominee of Victoria Woodhull, on the Equal Rights Party ticket.
Douglass was a firm believer in the equality of all peoples, whether black, female, Native American, or recent immigrant. He was also a believer in dialogue and in making alliances across racial and ideological divides, and in the liberal values of the U.S. Constitution. When radical abolitionists, under the motto "No Union With Slaveholders", criticized Douglass' willingness to dialogue with slave owners, he famously replied: "I would unite with anybody to do right and with nobody to do wrong."
Frederick Douglass was an American social reformer, abolitionist, orator, writer, and statesman. After escaping from slavery in Maryland, he became a national leader of the abolitionist movement in Massachusetts and New York, gaining note for his oratory and incisive antislavery writings. Wikipedia
Born Frederick Bailey in Maryland in February 1818, Frederick Douglass was the son of an enslaved woman and an unknown white father.
His early life was spent on a plantation. However, when Douglass was eight years old, he was sent to Baltimore to work for the family of Hugh and Sophia Auld. In the Auld household, he learned a very valuable and life-changing lesson: education was the key to his freedom.
Sophia Auld had not owned slaves before and treated Douglass with great kindness, taught him the alphabet, and awakened his love of learning.
In his autobiographies, Douglass later wrote, “The frequent hearing of my mistress reading the Bible aloud… awakened my curiosity in respect to this mystery of reading, and roused in me the desire to learn.” When Hugh Auld learned of his wife’s activities, he warned that “if you teach him how to read, he’ll want to know how to write, and this accomplished, he’ll be running away with himself.” It was a statement that burned itself into Douglass’s mind. “From that moment, I understood the direct pathway from slavery to freedom.”
Although Sophia now refused to teach him, Douglass would not be thwarted in his quest for an education. His duties in the Auld household frequently had him running errands in the city. Away from the scrutiny of his masters, he obtained a copy of Noah Webster’s spelling book and made friends with a group of white boys who gave him spelling lessons. At the age of thirteen, he made a little extra money shining boots and bought a copy of the Columbian Orator for fifty cents (just over fourteen dollars now).
This collection of political speeches, poems, and essays introduced Douglass to the ideals of the American Revolution.
At the age of fifteen, Douglass’s legal owner died and he was forced to return to plantation life. He spent the next five years assigned to several harsh masters, and endured severe hunger and beatings. After two unsuccessful attempts, he escaped from slavery in 1838 at the age of twenty and changed his name to Frederick Douglass.
Despite being at great risk of capture as a runaway slave, Douglass spoke about his experiences frequently at anti-slavery meetings.
A truly gifted, eloquent, and articulate speaker, Douglass quickly became a leading figure in the abolitionist movement. He published his first autobiography, The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: an American Slave, in 1845.
His fame attracted slave catchers which prompted him to leave the United States. In 1847, a group of British supporters raised money to purchase his freedom, and Douglass was able to return to the United States a free man.
Upon his return, Douglass continued to advocate the abolition of slavery. He also championed equal rights for all Americans, regardless of race or gender. He published two additional autobiographies, founded five newspapers, and served as the US Consul General to Haiti.
At a time when many argued that slaves did not possess the intellectual capacity to be educated, Douglass stood as stark evidence of enslaved people’s potential. Yet despite all he accomplished in his life, Douglass was haunted by the uncertainty of something most people take for granted–the date of his birth.
On March 24, 1894, Douglass wrote to Hugh Auld’s son, Benjamin, hoping to find out how old he was:
The principal thing I desired in making the inquiries I have of you was to get some idea of my exact age. I have always been troubled by the thought of having no birth day. My Mistress Lucretia Auld, said that I was eight or nearly eight when I went to Baltimore in the summer of 1825, and this corresponds with what you have heard your kind mother say on the subject. so I now judge that I am now about 77-years old.
Frederick Douglass died a year later, on February 20, 1895, not knowing the date of his birth. It was not until after his death that historians discovered Aaron Anthony’s plantation ledger recording Douglass’s birth year as 1818. The exact date is still unknown.
- Born: Cordova, MD
- Died: February 20, 1895, Washington, D.C.
- Children: Rosetta Douglass, Lewis Henry Douglass, Charles Remond Douglass, Frederick Douglass, Jr., Annie Douglass
- Spouse: Helen Pitts Douglass (m. 1884–1895), Anna Murray-Douglass (m. 1838–1882)
Born Frederick Bailey in Maryland in February 1818, Frederick Douglass was the son of an enslaved woman and an unknown white father.
His early life was spent on a plantation. However, when Douglass was eight years old, he was sent to Baltimore to work for the family of Hugh and Sophia Auld. In the Auld household, he learned a very valuable and life-changing lesson: education was the key to his freedom.
Sophia Auld had not owned slaves before and treated Douglass with great kindness, taught him the alphabet, and awakened his love of learning.
In his autobiographies, Douglass later wrote, “The frequent hearing of my mistress reading the Bible aloud… awakened my curiosity in respect to this mystery of reading, and roused in me the desire to learn.” When Hugh Auld learned of his wife’s activities, he warned that “if you teach him how to read, he’ll want to know how to write, and this accomplished, he’ll be running away with himself.” It was a statement that burned itself into Douglass’s mind. “From that moment, I understood the direct pathway from slavery to freedom.”
Although Sophia now refused to teach him, Douglass would not be thwarted in his quest for an education. His duties in the Auld household frequently had him running errands in the city. Away from the scrutiny of his masters, he obtained a copy of Noah Webster’s spelling book and made friends with a group of white boys who gave him spelling lessons. At the age of thirteen, he made a little extra money shining boots and bought a copy of the Columbian Orator for fifty cents (just over fourteen dollars now).
This collection of political speeches, poems, and essays introduced Douglass to the ideals of the American Revolution.
At the age of fifteen, Douglass’s legal owner died and he was forced to return to plantation life. He spent the next five years assigned to several harsh masters, and endured severe hunger and beatings. After two unsuccessful attempts, he escaped from slavery in 1838 at the age of twenty and changed his name to Frederick Douglass.
Despite being at great risk of capture as a runaway slave, Douglass spoke about his experiences frequently at anti-slavery meetings.
A truly gifted, eloquent, and articulate speaker, Douglass quickly became a leading figure in the abolitionist movement. He published his first autobiography, The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: an American Slave, in 1845.
His fame attracted slave catchers which prompted him to leave the United States. In 1847, a group of British supporters raised money to purchase his freedom, and Douglass was able to return to the United States a free man.
Upon his return, Douglass continued to advocate the abolition of slavery. He also championed equal rights for all Americans, regardless of race or gender. He published two additional autobiographies, founded five newspapers, and served as the US Consul General to Haiti.
At a time when many argued that slaves did not possess the intellectual capacity to be educated, Douglass stood as stark evidence of enslaved people’s potential. Yet despite all he accomplished in his life, Douglass was haunted by the uncertainty of something most people take for granted–the date of his birth.
On March 24, 1894, Douglass wrote to Hugh Auld’s son, Benjamin, hoping to find out how old he was:
The principal thing I desired in making the inquiries I have of you was to get some idea of my exact age. I have always been troubled by the thought of having no birth day. My Mistress Lucretia Auld, said that I was eight or nearly eight when I went to Baltimore in the summer of 1825, and this corresponds with what you have heard your kind mother say on the subject. so I now judge that I am now about 77-years old.
Frederick Douglass died a year later, on February 20, 1895, not knowing the date of his birth. It was not until after his death that historians discovered Aaron Anthony’s plantation ledger recording Douglass’s birth year as 1818. The exact date is still unknown.
An in-progress draft of
Richie’s illustration showing Douglass in front of a newspaper
background that was inspired by the layout of The North Star which Douglass published from 1847 to 1851.
Frederick Douglass Quotes
- Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will.
- If there is no struggle, there is no progress.
- It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.
- The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppress.
- Without a struggle, there can be no progress.
- At a time like this, scorching irony, not convincing argument, is needed.
- The soul that is within me no man can degrade.
- I prayed for twenty years but received no answer until I prayed with my legs.
- Those who profess to favor freedom, and yet depreciate agitation, are men who want crops without plowing up the ground.
- We have to do with the past only as we can make it useful to the present and the future.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_Douglass
| United States Minister Resident to Haiti | |
|---|---|
| In office June 26, 1889 – July 1891 | |
| President | Benjamin Harrison |
| Preceded by | John E. W. Thompson |
| Succeeded by | John Stephens Durham |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey
c. February 1818Cordova, Maryland, U.S. |
| Died | February 20, 1895 (aged 77) Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) |
Anna Murray
(m. 1838; died 1882)
Helen Pitts (m. 1884)
|
| Children | 5 |
| Parents | Harriet Bailey and, allegedly, Anthony Aaron |
| Occupation | Abolitionist, suffragist, author, editor, diplomat |
| Signature |  |
READ MORE:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_Douglass
Contents
- 1 Life as a slave
- 2 From slavery to freedom
- 3 Abolitionist and preacher
- 4 Religious views
- 5 Civil War years
- 6 Reconstruction era
- 7 Family life
- 8 Final years in Washington, D.C.
- 9 Death
- 10 Legacy and honors
- 11 In arts and literature
- 12 Works
- 13 See also
- 14 Notes
- 15 References
- 16 Bibliography
- 17 Further reading
In the Words of Frederick Douglass
In the Words of Frederick Douglass: Quotations from Liberty's Champion http://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/b... Edited by IUPUI Professor John R. McKivigan Project Director and Editor of the Frederick Douglass Papers
22 Frederick Douglass Quotes to Make You Fight to Stop Ignorance
By Flavia Medrut - January 1, 2018
https://www.goalcast.com/2018/01/01/frederick-douglass-quotes
Here's How New Texas Public School Textbooks Write About Slavery
Bobby Finger - 9/01/15
https://jezebel.com/heres-how-new-texas-public-school-textbooks-write-about-1726786557
Frederick Douglass On How Slave Owners Used Food As A Weapon Of Control
by Nina Martyris - Feb 10, 2017
https://www.wfdd.org/story/frederick-douglass-how-slave-owners-used-food-weapon-control
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