Frederick Douglass

Frederick Douglass (1818-1895) was an African American in the 19th century. He was born as a slave in Maryland. He learned to read. He escaped to the North in the 1830s.

Frederick Douglass
Frederick Douglass
Born	Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey (1818-02-14)February 14, 1818 Talbot County, Maryland
Died	February 20, 1895(1895-02-20) (aged 77) Washington, D.C.
Cause of death	heart attack or stroke
Other names	Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey
Occupation	Public speaker, Author, Diplomat
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Anna Murray ​ ​ (m. 1838; died 1882)​ Helen Pitts ​ ​ (m. 1884)​
Children	5

He soon became an abolitionist (someone who wants to end slavery). He worked with other abolitionists including William Lloyd Garrison. He was one of the most powerful speakers for abolitionism. Frederick also published his own newspaper "North Star". He wrote books, for example Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave and My Bondage and My Freedom. Douglass spent several years in England and Ireland. During the Civil War, Douglass was the most famous black man in the country. He met Abraham Lincoln. After the war, he was Ambassador to Haiti. He was an advocate for equal rights for African Americans.

Frederick Douglass Media

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  Anna Murray Douglass, Douglass's wife for 44 years, portrait c. 1860

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  Frederick Douglass, c. 1840s, in his 20s

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  The home and meetinghouse of the Johnsons, where Douglass and his wife lived in New Bedford, Massachusetts

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  William Lloyd Garrison, abolitionist and one of Douglass's first friends in the North

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  Plaque to Frederick Douglass, West Bell St., Dundee, Scotland

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  Douglass in 1847, around 29 years of age

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  33 Gilmore Place, Edinburgh (cropped)

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  Douglass circa 1847–52, around his early 30s

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  Memorial Rock at AME Zion, Newburgh, New York

• A 2021 instructional video from the National Archives and Records Administration for young learners starring Phil Darius Wallace, an actor who regularly portrays Douglass in performances and recitations