Frederick Douglass
Also known as Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey
American abolitionist, orator, writer and statesman (c. 1818–1895), who escaped slavery in 1838.
At a glance
Main ideas
The Constitution against slavery, Unite to do right, Votes for women …
See all 4Books to start with
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, My Bondage and My Freedom, Life and Times of Frederick Douglass …
See all 4Connections
William Lloyd Garrison, Ida B. Wells and Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave
See all 3
Also on this page: Key facts · Links · Sources · Related pages
- Douglass was born into slavery in Maryland and escaped to the North in September 1838.
- He became a national leader of the abolitionist movement, known for his speeches and writing.
- He wrote three autobiographies, starting with his 1845 Narrative.
- He published the North Star and later newspapers, supported women's suffrage, and after the Civil War campaigned for the rights of freed slaves.
- He held several public offices, including United States Marshal for the District of Columbia.
Why it matters
- He has been called the most important leader of the movement for African-American civil rights in the 19th century.
Key facts
- Born
- c. 1818-02, Talbot County, Maryland, into slavery; he celebrated February 14 as his birthday1
- Died
- 20 Feb 1895, Washington, D.C., of a heart attack1
- Escaped slavery
- 3 Sep 1838, by train from Baltimore, reaching New York in under 24 hours1
- Newspapers
- The North Star (from 1847), Frederick Douglass' Paper (from 1851 to 1859), the New National Era (1870)1
- Seneca Falls
- The only black person at the 1848 women's rights convention; he spoke for women's suffrage1
- Vice-presidential nomination
- 1872, Equal Rights Party, as Victoria Woodhull's running mate, without his knowledge or consent1
- Freedman's Savings Bank
- President from March 1874 until it failed that June1
- U.S. Marshal
- For the District of Columbia, confirmed 17 Mar 1877; the first person of color named to the post1
- Married
- Anna Murray, a free black woman from Baltimore, 15 Sep 1838; five children1
Main ideas
-
The Constitution against slavery1
Breaking with Garrison, he came to hold that the Constitution could and should be used to fight slavery.
-
Unite to do right1
"I would unite with anybody to do right and with nobody to do wrong."
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Votes for women1
He would not accept the vote as a black man if women could not claim it too.
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Schools open to all1
An early advocate of school desegregation, he called full access to education more pressing than suffrage.
Books to start with
The line under a date fills as it gets older: empty when new, full at 2 years.
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Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave1
His first autobiography and a bestseller of the abolition movement.
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My Bondage and My Freedom1
His second autobiography.
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Life and Times of Frederick Douglass1
His last autobiography, revised in 1892.
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What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?1
A speech in Rochester one biographer called perhaps the greatest antislavery oration ever given.
Connections
Related
- William Lloyd GarrisonAn early ally; they split around 1847 over whether the Constitution was pro-slavery
- Ida B. WellsPersonPraised her work and introduced and sometimes funded her investigations
Links
Sources
Last checked against its sources today
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