Douglass, Frederick (1818–1895)

Early Years

Frederick Douglass was born Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey, February 1818 in Tuckahoe, Maryland. His mother was a slave woman by the name of Harriet Bailey, and it was speculated that his father was his master. Taken away from his mother as an infant, Douglass was reared by his grandmother on the outskirts of the plantation. At first innocent to the cruelties of slavery, Douglass witnessed the savage beating of a slave girl, which played a significant role in forming his abolitionist spirit. Around 7 or 8 years of age, Douglass was rented to another master in Baltimore, Maryland, and this move proved one of the most interesting events of his life because it ultimately led to his freedom.

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Frederick Douglass. Douglass was one of the foremost leaders of the abolitionist movement, which fought to end slavery in the United States during the decades before the Civil War. Douglass genuinely believed that racism could be ended and that Blacks and Whites could live together in harmony.

Source: Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, LC-USZ62-15887.

In Baltimore, Douglass was taught to read by his master's wife. However, the master objected to his wife's teachings, and Douglass listened to the master warn his wife of the dangers of teaching slaves how to read. Douglass thought if the mere act of his mistress teaching him letters enraged his master, there must be power in words. Therefore, Douglass did all he could to secretly learn to read and write. Once literate, Douglass sought any discussion about slavery and soon was introduced to the word abolition. The discovery of a movement against slavery reinforced Douglass's pursuit of freedom.

In 1833, Douglass was rented to another master who was notorious for his cruelty. Under this control, Douglass experienced the worst slavery had to offer. The torturous methods resulted in a broken spirit and a weakened intellect. Douglass writes of hiding from this cruel slave master to escape certain death for disobeying his rules. While hiding, Douglass encountered a fellow slave who provided him with a symbolic gesture to remind him of his humanity: If he carried with him always a piece of a certain root, Douglass would be able to stand up against any oppressor. With this restored sense of his own manhood, Douglass stood up against this master and vowed to welcome death before any White man would whip him again.

Freedom in the North

By 1838, he escaped to the North and to freedom. In New York, Douglass married Anna Murray, and with the help of an abolitionist, changed his name to Frederick Douglass. Douglass and Anna continued north and settled in New Bedford, Massachusetts. Douglass and Anna had five children. During his time in New Bedford, Douglass was introduced to the Liberator, edited by William Lloyd Garrison, the leader of the American Anti-Slavery Society. By August 1841, Douglass joined Garrison's antislavery movement, served as a lecturer for the Anti-Slavery Society, and was responsible for talking about his life and selling subscriptions to the Liberator and the Anti-Slavery Standard.

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