Essays on Frederick Douglass

Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey was born around 1818 into slavery in Talbot County, Maryland. At a young age, Douglass was selected to live in the home of the plantation owners. His mother, died when he was around 10.

In 1837, Douglass met and fell in love with Anna Murray, a free black woman, and they married in September 1838. After several failed attempts at escape, Douglass finally left Covey’s farm in 1838. In New Bedford, Douglass began attending meetings of the abolitionist movement.

In 1847, Douglass began publishing his own abolitionist newsletter, the North Star. Also, he became involved in the movement for women’s rights. Later, he included coverage of women’s rights issues in the pages of the North Star.

During the war he supported President Abraham Lincoln, after the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863, he fall into disagreement with the politician. In the post-war Reconstruction era, Douglass served in many official positions in government.

In 1895, Frederick Douglass died after suffering a heart attack on his way home from a meeting of the National Council of Women. His life’s work still serves as an inspiration to those who seek equality.

“Once you learn to read, you will be forever free.”
“It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.”
“Knowledge makes a man unfit to be a slave.”