Forever Free
Who was Frederick Douglass?
Frederick Douglass was an American social reformer, abolitionist, orator, writer, and statesman. Douglass was born into slavery and at the age of 6, he was separated from his grandparents and moved to the Wye House plantation. After his overseer, Aaron Anthony died, Douglass was given to Lucretia Auld, who was essential in creating who Douglass, shaping his experiences, having a special interest in Douglass from the time he was a child, and wanting to give him a better life. Auld's husband then sent him to work for his brother, Thomas Auld.
When Douglass was about 12 years-old, Hugh Auld's wife, Sophia, began teaching him the alphabet. According to Wikipedia, Hugh Auld disapproved of the tutoring, feeling that literacy would encourage him altogether and hid all potential reading material - including her Bible - form him. Douglass secretly began to teach himself how to read and write. By the time he was hired out to work under, William Freeland, he was teaching other slaves how to read using the Bible.
Frederick Douglass first tried to escape from Freeland, who had hired him from his owner, but was unsuccessful. By September 3rd, 1838, Douglass successfully escaped by boarding a northbound train to Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad. He traveled through Delaware - another slave state - before arriving in New York and the safe house of abolitionist, David Ruggles. Once settled in New York, Douglass sent for Anna Murray - a free African American woman from Baltimore he met while in captivity. Murray joined Douglass, they married and had five children together.
Douglass went on to join the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, became a licensed preacher in 1839, joined several organizations in New Bedford, and regularly attended abolitionist meetings. By the time of the Civil War in 1861, Douglass was one of the most famous African American men in the country. He became well known for his *orations on the condition of the black race and on other issues such as women's rights. He remained an active speaker, writer and activist until his passing in 1895.
On February 20th, 1895, Frederick Douglass passed away, after attending a meeting of the National Council of Women in Washington, D.C.
Vocabulary
Oration | A formal speech, especially one given on a ceremonial occasion.
Books
*Kids*
Who was Frederick Douglass | April Prince
Words Set Me Free: The Story of Young Frederick Douglass | Lesa Cline-Ransome
Escape from slavery | Frederick Douglass
Bread for Words: A Frederick Douglass Story | Shana Keller
All about Frederick Douglass | Robin L. Condon
A Slave's Education in Courage: The Life of Frederick Douglass | Pat Perrin & Wim Coleman
*Adults
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave | Jonathan Reese
Frederick Douglass: An American's Prophet | D.H. Dilbeck
Three African-American Classics: Up from Slavery, The Souls of Black Folk and Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass | W.E.B. Du Bois, Frederick Douglass & Booker T. Washington
The Portable Frederick Douglass (Penguin Classics) | Frederick Douglass, John Stauffer & Henry Louis Gates
Movie(s) | Film(s) | Documentaries'
Frederick Douglass and the White Negro | 2008
Frederick Douglass: When the Lion Wrote History | 1994
Source(s)
1. "Frederick Douglass." Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 8 June 2021, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_Douglass
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