Brief Summary: The Life Of Frederick Douglass

Frederick Douglass was born into slavery during 1818 in Maryland. When he was young, he was selected to live in the home of one of the plantation owners, who may have been his father. As a child, he witnessed many of the horrors of slavery, most notably when he watched his Aunt Hester get whipped violently and severely beaten. While he lived on a plantation as a child, his living conditions were poor as slaves were given small amounts of coarse clothing, little food, and weren't given a bed to rest on. He was often hungry and cold. Douglass was eventually sent to Baltimore to live in the home of Hugh Auld and his wife, Sophia. He first learned to read and write in Baltimore with the help of Mrs. Auld who taught him the alphabet; this kindled

Later in his teenage years, he was sent to work for Edward Covey, a man who had a reputation for "breaking" slaves. Covey's abuse nearly broke Douglass, but he eventually fought back, gaining courage after successfully standing up to him. He tried to escape from slavery twice before he finally gained his freedom. Anna Murray, his future wife, aided him in his final attempt. Douglass boarded a train with some of Murray's savings and a sailor's uniform that she provided. Frederick had identification obtained from a free black seaman which allowed him get to a safe house in New York. Douglass eventually settled in New Bedford, Massachusetts, where he regularly attended abolitionist meetings. He eventually began to lecture against slavery and wrote his first autobiography, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, in 1845. Douglass went on to become one of the most famous intellectuals of his

While in Ireland and Britain, he spoke about the evils of slavery and his British supporters gathered the money needed to buy him his freedom. Once he returned to the United States in 1847, he published some abolitionist newspapers and spoke about women’s rights as well. By the time the Civil War rolled around, he was easily one of the most famous black men in America. He influenced the role of African Americans’ status in the country in this position of power. He discussed the treatment of black soldiers with President Lincoln and later discussed black suffrage with President Johnson. After the war, he was appointed to many political positions, serving as president of the Freedman’s Savings Bank and as chargé d’affaires for the Dominican Republic; he resigned from his ambassadorship after two years. Later, he became minister-resident and consul-general to the Republic of Haiti between 1889 to 1891. He also became the first African American nominated for vice president in 1872 for the Equal Rights Party, but ultimately didn’t campaign as he was nominated without his own consent. Douglass died shortly after coming home from a meeting of the National Council of Women in Washington, D.C. on February 20,