Frederick Douglass

Frederick Douglass was a great man during the Slave Trade of the
1800s. He became a world-renowned speaker and writer. After he earned
his freedom, the city of New Bedford, Massachusetts hired him as a speaker
and he traveled around the northeast, slowly gaining more and more
admirers (Frederickdouglasshonorsociety.org). When he was born, his
mother was a slave and she had to work long hard days. Only a few weeks
after he was born, he and his mom were separated and he was sent to live
with his grandparents.
As he grew, he too was a slave. When he was eight years old, he
worked as a houseboy, or someone who does indoor chores, for a man and a
woman whose names were Hugh and Sophia Auld. Sophia was a very nice
woman and she taught Frederick to read and write. Unfortunately as a few
years passed, Sophias husband told her that it was against the law to teach
slaves to read and write. Sadly, Sophia stopped teaching Frederick and she
wasnt nice to him anymore. So, he bought a book called The Columbian
Orator and he taught himself to read and write.
As his hard work went on for quite a few years to come, he made an
escape plan that would earn him his freedom. He started planning in
January of 1836. But in April of the same year, his plans were found and he
was arrested. In 1838, he attempted another escape by pretending to be a
sailor (Frederickdouglass.org). Luckily, he succeeded and he finally
experienced his freedom. He did not do this alone though. He was helped
by a free black woman named Anna Murray. Frederick had fallen in love
with her and they got married in September of the same year. They went to
live in Massachusetts and had five children.
Douglass wrote three biographies and inspired slaves in the south to
fight in the Civil War. He told them that if they believed in themselves,
they could earn their freedom. As the war raged on, the Confederacy finally
surrendered and the slaves were freed. Shortly after it ended, the law that
proclaimed all the slaves to be free was passed.
Not only was Frederick Douglass a freedom fighter, but he also
fought for womens rights as well. A famous quote of his when he was
speaking for womens rights was: Right is of no sex, Truth is of no color
(Frederick Douglass National Historic Site).
Many people honor this great man, including Abraham Lincoln, who
said he was the most praiseworthy man in the 1800s (Digital History).
Frederick Douglass stood by three standards during his life: Believe in
yourself, Take advantage of every opportunity, and Use the power of
spoken and written language to effect positive change for yourself and
society (Frederickdouglass.org).