Compare And Contrast Frederick Douglass And The Crafts

Many ex-slaves led the abolitionist movement after their escape and helped slaves gain their right to freedom. Three of these people were Frederick Douglass and the Craft couple. Frederick Douglass was one of the most well-respected and educated African Americans of his time. The Crafts hatched one of the most famous and daring escapes in the history of American slavery. Although Douglass and the Crafts had very different experiences in slavery and during their escape, they used their life stories to educate others and help put an end to slavery. Douglass' ability to educate himself as a slave led to him spreading the horrors of slavery later in life. He lived a fairly normal early childhood on the plantation. Douglass was moved to a different

In December of 1848, William got an idea. He thought of dressing up Ellen as his master and pretending they were traveling north. They requested permission to leave for the weekend from their masters. They boarded multiple trains and boats to make it to the north. They were very close to being caught multiple times, but eventually made it to Baltimore on December 24th. They had to be careful in Baltimore, for many were watching out for escaped slaves near the border to the North. An officer stopped them and accused Ellen of not being Williams' actual owner, but eventually let them go. They finally took a train to Philadelphia, ending the long, stressful, escape. In total, the journey took 4 days. They thanked God, on Christmas Day, for having assisted them “in escaping out of the jaws of the wicked” (Craft and Craft 44). They had escaped from the chains holding them back from starting the family they always

He first spoke at a convention in Nantucket. William Coffin invited him to the stage to speak, which he was not prepared for. Despite this, Douglass gave an amazing speech and Mr. John Collins invited him to speak at many other events. Many people spoke about Douglass and how his words move them. According to David Blight, “The abolitionist movement had never seen anything quite like him” (102). Many said watching him speak in person came with “bragging rights”. Even William Lloyd Garrison, a famous and highly respected abolitionist, was moved by Douglass’s words. Garrison believed Douglass could end slavery by campaigning around the country, telling his story. Douglass could make anyone that heard him hate slavery more than they had in their entire life before that moment. Douglass was one of the first fugitive slave speakers, and one of the only escaped slaves that were knowledgeable enough to do so. Douglass spoke in favor of the Civil War, stating, “The thing worse than rebellion is the thing that causes rebellion” (Reconstruction 94). Douglass was such an intelligent speaker many people questioned if he was even a slave. Frederick Douglass was one of the biggest contributors to the abolitionist