Learning to Read and Write Frederick Douglass Citation

Who Was Frederick Douglass?

Abolitionist leader Frederick Douglass was born into slavery quondam effectually 1818 in Talbot County, Maryland. He became one of the most famous intellectuals of his time, advising presidents and lecturing to thousands on a range of causes, including women'south rights and Irish home rule.

Among Douglass' writings are several autobiographies eloquently describing his experiences in slavery and his life afterwards the Ceremonious State of war, including the well-known piece of work Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave.

Early Life

Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey was born around 1818 into slavery in Talbot County, Maryland.  As was oftentimes the case with slaves, the verbal year and date of Douglass' nascency are unknown, though later in life he chose to gloat information technology on February 14.

Douglass initially lived with his maternal grandmother, Betty Bailey. At a immature age, Douglass was selected to live in the dwelling house of the plantation owners, 1 of whom may have been his father.

His mother, who was an intermittent presence in his life, died when he was effectually 10.

Frederick Douglass

Photo: Drove of the National Museum of African American History and Culture, 2010.36.10ab

Learning to Read and Write

Defying a ban on didactics slaves to read and write, Baltimore slaveholder Hugh Auld's wife Sophia taught Douglass the alphabet when he was around 12. When Auld forbade his wife to offer more lessons, Douglass continued to acquire from white children and others in the neighborhood.

It was through reading that Douglass' ideological opposition to slavery began to take shape. He read newspapers avidly and sought out political writing and literature as much as possible. In later years, Douglass credited The Columbian Orator with clarifying and defining his views on human rights.

Douglass shared his newfound knowledge with other enslaved people. Hired out to William Freeland, he taught other slaves on the plantation to read the New Testament at a weekly church service.

Interest was so great that in any calendar week, more than 40 slaves would nourish lessons. Although Freeland did non interfere with the lessons, other local slave owners were less understanding. Armed with clubs and stones, they dispersed the congregation permanently.

With Douglass moving between the Aulds, he was later made to work for Edward Covey, who had a reputation every bit a "slave-breaker." Covey's constant abuse nearly broke the 16-year-old Douglass psychologically. Eventually, all the same, Douglass fought back, in a scene rendered powerfully in his commencement autobiography.

Afterward losing a concrete confrontation with Douglass, Covey never shell him once more. Douglass tried to escape from slavery twice before he finally succeeded.

Married woman and Children

Douglass married Anna Murray, a free Black adult female, on September 15, 1838. Douglass had fallen in love with Murray, who assisted him in his final attempt to escape slavery in Baltimore.

On September 3, 1838, Douglass boarded a train to Havre de Grace, Maryland. Murray had provided him with some of her savings and a sailor's compatible. He carried identification papers obtained from a gratuitous Black seaman. Douglass fabricated his manner to the safe business firm of abolitionist David Ruggles in New York in less than 24 hours.

In one case he had arrived, Douglass sent for Murray to meet him in New York, where they married and adopted the name of Johnson to disguise Douglass' identity. Anna and Frederick and so settled in New Bedford, Massachusetts, which had a thriving costless Blackness community. At that place they adopted Douglass as their married name.

Douglass and Anna had five children together: Rosetta, Lewis Henry, Frederick Jr., Charles Redmond and Annie, who died at the age of 10. Charles and Rosetta assisted their begetter in the production of his newspaper The North Star. Anna remained a loyal supporter of Douglass' public work, despite marital strife caused by his relationships with several other women.

Afterwards Anna's death, Douglass married Helen Pitts, a feminist from Honeoye, New York. Pitts was the daughter of Gideon Pitts Jr., an abolitionist colleague. A graduate of Mount Holyoke College, Pitts worked on a radical feminist publication and shared many of Douglass' moral principles.

Their spousal relationship caused considerable controversy, since Pitts was white and virtually 20 years younger than Douglass. Douglass' children were especially displeased with the human relationship. All the same, Douglass and Pitts remained married until his death eleven years later.

Abolitionist

Later settling every bit a free human being with his married woman Anna in New Bedford in 1838, Douglass was eventually asked to tell his story at abolitionist meetings, and he became a regular anti-slavery lecturer.

The founder of the weekly journalThe Liberator, William Lloyd Garrison, was impressed with Douglass' force and rhetorical skill and wrote of him in his newspaper. Several days later on the story ran, Douglass delivered his starting time voice communication at the Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Social club'due south annual convention in Nantucket.

Crowds were non always hospitable to Douglass. While participating in an 1843 lecture tour through the Midwest, Douglass was chased and beaten by an aroused mob earlier being rescued by a local Quaker family unit.

Post-obit the publication of his first autobiography in 1845, Douglass traveled overseas to evade recapture. He set sail for Liverpool on August 16, 1845, and eventually arrived in Republic of ireland equally the Potato Famine was beginning. He remained in Ireland and Britain for ii years, speaking to large crowds on the evils of slavery.

During this time, Douglass' British supporters gathered funds to purchase his legal freedom. In 1847, the famed writer and orator returned to the The states a free man.

'The North Star'

Upon his return, Douglass produced some abolitionist newspapers: The North Star, Frederick Douglass Weekly, Frederick Douglass' Paper, Douglass' Monthly and New National Era.

The motto of The Due north Star was "Correct is of no Sex – Truth is of no Color – God is the Father of usa all, and we are all brethren."

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'Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass'

In New Bedford, Massachusetts, Douglass joined a Blackness church and regularly attended abolitionist meetings. He also subscribed to Garrison'southwardThe Liberator.

At the urging of Garrison, Douglass wrote and published his first autobiography, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, in 1845. The book was a bestseller in the United states and was translated into several European languages.

Although theNarrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass garnered Douglass many fans, some critics expressed doubt that a sometime enslaved person with no formal education could have produced such elegant prose.

Other Books by Frederick Douglass

Douglass published three versions of his autobiography during his lifetime, revising and expanding on his work each fourth dimension. My Bondage and My Freedom appeared in 1855.

In 1881, Douglass published Life and Times of Frederick Douglass, which he revised in 1892.

Women's Rights

In addition to abolition, Douglass became an outspoken supporter of women's rights. In 1848, he was the only African American to attend the Seneca Falls convention on women's rights. Elizabeth Cady Stanton asked the associates to pass a resolution stating the goal of women'southward suffrage. Many attendees opposed the idea.

Douglass, however, stood and spoke eloquently in favor, arguing that he could non have the right to vote as a Black homo if women could not also merits that right. The resolution passed.

Yet Douglass would afterwards come up into conflict with women's rights activists for supporting the Fifteenth Amendment, which banned suffrage discrimination based on race while upholding sex-based restrictions.

Civil War and Reconstruction

By the time of the Civil War, Douglass was one of the near famous Black men in the land. He used his status to influence the role of African Americans in the state of war and their status in the land. In 1863, Douglass conferred with President Abraham Lincoln regarding the treatment of Black soldiers, and later with President Andrew Johnson on the subject of Black suffrage.

President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation, which took effect on January 1, 1863, alleged the freedom of enslaved people in Confederate territory. Despite this victory, Douglass supported John C. Frémont over Lincoln in the 1864 election, citing his disappointment that Lincoln did not publicly endorse suffrage for Blackness freedmen.

Slavery everywhere in the U.s.a. was later on outlawed by the ratification of the Thirteenth Subpoena to the U.S. Constitution.

Douglass was appointed to several political positions post-obit the state of war. He served every bit president of the Freedman's Savings Banking concern and equally chargé d'affaires for the Dominican Commonwealth.

Later on 2 years, he resigned from his ambassadorship over objections to the particulars of U.S. authorities policy. He was subsequently appointed minister-resident and delegate-general to the Republic of haiti, a post he held between 1889 and 1891.

In 1877, Douglass visited one of his former owners, Thomas Auld. Douglass had met with Auld's girl, Amanda Auld Sears, years before. The visit held personal significance for Douglass, although some criticized him for the reconciliation.

Vice Presidential Candidate

Douglass became the first African American nominated for vice president of the United States every bit Victoria Woodhull'south running mate on the Equal Rights Political party ticket in 1872.

Nominated without his knowledge or consent, Douglass never campaigned. Nonetheless, his nomination marked the first fourth dimension that an African American appeared on a presidential ballot.

Death

Douglass died on February 20, 1895, of a massive heart set on or stroke shortly later returning from a coming together of the National Council of Women in Washington, D.C. He was cached in Mount Hope Cemetery in Rochester, New York.

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Source: https://www.biography.com/activist/frederick-douglass