Frederick Douglass

Frederick Douglass was born in Talbot County, Maryland on February 14th, 1818. He died in Washington, D.C on February 20th in 1895.

• He was an abolitionist, editor, author, orator, women’s suffragist, statesmen, and reformer.
• He was called “The Lion of Anacostia” and “The Sage of Anacostia”.
• He was a slave when he was born.
• He escaped on September 3, 1838 after his 3rd attempt.  He boarded a train disguised as a sailor that went to Havre de Grace, Maryland and eventually ended up in New York.  He was a free man in less than 24 hours.  This is when he changed his name from Frederick Bailey to Frederick Douglass.
• He had a strong belief for equal rights.  He fought for all rights whether black, Native American, immigrants, and the rights for women.
• He loved William Lloyd Garrison’s journal, The Liberator.
• He was an anti-slavery speaker and influenced many people that slavery was bad.
• He wrote an autobiography called, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave which sold over 11,000 copies and was even translated in French and Dutch and sold in Europe.
•  He also wrote My Bondage and My Freedom and The Life and Times of Frederick Douglass.
• He was the first African American nominated as a Vice President candidate running in the Equal Rights Party.  He ran with Victoria Woodhull, who was the first women to run for President of the United States.