Frederick Douglass

"I once knew a little colored boy whose mother and father died when he was but six years old. He was a slave and had no one to care for him. He slept on a dirt floor in a hovel, and in cold weather would crawl into a meal bag head foremost and leave his feet in the ashes to keep them warm. Often he would roast an ear of corn and eat it to satisfy his hunger, and many times has he crawled under the barn or stable and secured eggs, which he would roast in the fire and eat. That boy did not wear pants like you and I do, but a tow linen shirt. Schools were unknown to him and he learned to spell from and old Webster's spelling book and to read and write from posters on cellar doors, white boys and men would help him. He would then preach and speak and soon become well known. He became United States Elector, United States Marshall, United States Recorder, United States Diplomat and accumulated some wealth. He wore broadcloth and didn't have to divide crumbs with the dogs under the table. That boy was Frederick Douglass." (Taken from a speach by Frederick Douglass promoting his autobiography.)

Unlike most of us, Frederick Douglass, who was born in rural Tuckahoe, sometime in February of 1818, did not have a wonderful childhood. Douglass' mother was a slave and his father was thought to have been his mother's owner. After a few weeks with his mother in the cabin pictured above, Frederick was sent to live with his grandmother whom he affectionately called Grandmother Bailey. Grandmother Bailey raised children until they were old enough to work on Captain Aaron Anthony's plantation. At the age of six, Frederick was deemed old enough to work on the plantation. He was not strong enough to carry a hoe or do any picking yet, so the "Old Master" as the slaves called him, made Frederick sweep the walkways, clean the barnyard, drive the cows home and keep the chickens out of the vegetable garden.

Not long afterwards, Frederick was hired out to Baltimore, to work for the Aulds. The Aulds treated Frederick kindly. They gave him food, clothes and a warm bed to sleep in. Mrs. Auld even taught Frederick how to read. Mr. Auld was not as kind as his wife. He thought that if a slave learned how to read, "He'll get ideas out of books. He'll begin to think. Then he will be unhappy with his life as a slave. He might even find out a way to get free!" After hearing what his master said, Frederick vowed he was going to learn as much as he could. He perfected his reading with discarded papers from the gutter, street signs, posters and occasional lessons from neighborhood boys. When he was twelve, he saved up 50 cents from shining shoes to buy his first book, The Columbian Orator. One story would inspire him forever. It was the story of a slave who argued so well with his master on the ills of slavery that he was set free.

When Frederick Douglass turned sixteen, his master died. Douglass was left to Hugh Auld's brother, Thomas Auld. Douglass then moved from Baltimore to St. Michael's. For the first time, Frederick Douglass was whipped, starved and forced to do field work. Not used to this type of treatment, he lashed out. He was sent to live with the famous slavebreaker, Edward Covey. Covey tried to work Douglass to death. Rain or shine, snow, heat, or hail,Douglass worked. Covey even beat him so much that he bled and his back was raw. One day, Douglass couldn't take it any longer. When Covey tried to beat him, Douglass punched him. A fight ensued. Douglass was almost six feet tall and had the advantage of great strength. He beat his master and overseer as all the other slaves cheered him on. Covey never touched him again. Frederick Douglass planned a slave revolt but it failed. Because of this, he was sent back to Baltimore.

In Baltimore,Douglass got a job in a shipyard. He met some free African-Americans who asked him to join a club called "the East Baltimore Mutual Improvement Society." There he met his first wife, Anna Murray who is pictured on the right. To escape slavery, Frederick ran away to New York where Ana was later able to join him. Since it was illegal to run away from slavery, he adopted the name "Douglass" which was the name of an abolitionist friend. In the north, he began public speaking and eventually became a lecturer with the Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society. In 1895, he published his autobiography, pipctured above, describing his life as a slave. His owner, Thomas Auld, then sent slave catchers after him. Douglass was now the most famous runaway slave in the country. There was nowhere to hide. So, he went to England, where he made speeches against slavery. Abolitionists there raised the necessary money and bought him his freedom.

Douglass returned to America as a free man and moved to Rochester where he started his abolitionist newspaper, The North Star. During this period, his house in Rochester became a stop on the Underground Railroad. He became friends with such people as William Lloyd Garrison, Harriet Tubman and President Abraham Lincoln. Douglass encouraged Lincoln to free the slaves, just as he had been freed. Douglass held many government positions after the Civil War and his home, Cedar Hill, in Anacostia, Washington D.C. is now a monument maintained by the National Park Service. The statue and quotation pictured above are part of that monument. In 1877 Douglass served as the Federal Marshall for the District of Columbia and as its recorder of deeds in 1881. He was Minister to the Republic of Haiti and Charge d'Affairs for Santo Domingo in 1891. When Frederick Douglass was asked by a young student what his advice he would give to young people his reply was "Agitate". By that, he meant work for a better society and don't accept something simply because "That's the way things are". Douglass died on Feb 20, 1895.

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