Frederick Douglass
Frederick Douglass, ca. 1879.
Born	February 1818 Talbot County, Maryland, U.S.
Died	February 20, 1895 (aged 77) Washington, D.C., U.S.
Occupation	Abolitionist
Spouse	1) Anna Murray (c. Talbot County is a County located in the US state of Maryland. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Events 1472 - Orkney and Shetland are left by Norway to Scotland, due to a Dowry payment Year 1895 ( MDCCCXCV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Washington DC ( formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Abolitionism was a political movement of the 18th and 19th century which sought to make Slavery illegal particularly in the United States and British West Indies 1839), 2) Helen Pitts (1884)
Children	Charles Remond Douglass, Rosetta Douglass, Lewis Henry Douglass, Frederick Douglass Jr. , and Annie Douglass (died at 10)
Parents	Harriet Bailey and perhaps Aaron Anthony

Frederick Douglass (born Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey, February 1818 – February 20, 1895) was an American abolitionist, editor, orator, author, statesman and reformer. Events 1472 - Orkney and Shetland are left by Norway to Scotland, due to a Dowry payment Year 1895 ( MDCCCXCV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Abolitionism was a political movement of the 18th and 19th century which sought to make Slavery illegal particularly in the United States and British West Indies Editing Language, Images or Sound through correction condensation organization and other modifications in various media An author is defined both as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created A statesman or stateswoman or statesperson is usually a Politician or other notable figure of State who has had a long and respected career in Reform Movement redirects here For specific organizations by that name see Reform Movement (disambiguation A reform movement is a kind Called "The Sage of Anacostia" and "The Lion of Anacostia", Douglass is one of the most prominent figures in African-American history and United States history. Anacostia is a historic Neighborhood in Washington DC Its historic downtown is located at the intersection of Good Hope Road and Martin Luther King Jr African American history is the portion of American history that specifically discusses the African American or Black American ethnic group in the United In 1872 Douglass was nominated as the vice presidential candidate on the Equal Rights Party ticket with Victoria Woodhull, the first woman to run for President of the United States. This article is about United States political parties by this name Victoria Claflin Woodhull ( September 23, 1838 &ndash June 9, 1927) was an American suffragist who was publicized The President of the United States is the Head of state and Head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in United States by

He was a firm believer in the equality of all people, whether black, woman, Native American, or recent immigrant. Egalitarianism (derived from the French word égal, meaning equal) is a political doctrine that holds that all people should be treated as equals and have The term black people usually refers to a racial group of Humans with dark Skin color, but the term has also been used to categorise a number of diverse Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples from the regions of North America now encompassed by the continental United States American immigration ( emigration to the United States of America) refers to the movement of non-residents to the United States. He was fond of saying, "I would unite with anybody to do right and with nobody to do wrong. "

Contents 1 Life as a slave 2 From slavery to freedom 3 Abolitionist activities 3.1 Autobiography 3.2 Travels to Great Britain 3.3 Return to the United States 4 Civil War years 4.1 Before the Civil War 4.2 Fight for emancipation 4.3 Lincoln's death 5 Reconstruction era 6 Family life 6.1 Death 7 Establishing date of birth 8 Works 8.1 Writings 8.2 Speeches 9 Cultural representation 10 See also 11 Notes 12 References 13 Further reading 14 External links

Life as a slave

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Period and context
History · Antiquity Religious views: Biblical · Christian · Islamic · Jewish Slave trades: Atlantic · African · Arab · Asian Human trafficking · Sexual slavery · Abolitionism · Servitude
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Gulag · Serfdom · Unfree labour · Debt bondage · Indentured servant · List of slaves · Legal status
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Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey, who later became known as Frederick Douglass, was born a slave in Talbot County, Maryland, near Hillsboro. As a social-economic system slavery is a legal institution under which a Person (called "a slave" is compelled to work for another The history of slavery uncovers many different forms of human exploitation across many cultures throughout history Slavery as an institution in Mediterranean cultures of the ancient world comprised a mixture of Debt-slavery, slavery as a punishment for crime and The issue of religion and slavery is an area of historical research into the relationship between the world's major Religions and the practice of Slavery. The Bible contains several references to slavery. The Hebrew Bible does not promote Slavery, but neither does it condemn it Christianity does not have a clear position regarding slavery, in favour or against The major juristic schools of Islam traditionally accepted the institution of Slavery. Judaism has been influenced by the experience of slavery of the Hebrews in the land of Egypt, as narrated in the biblical story of The Exodus The Atlantic Slave trade, also known as the transatlantic slave trade, was the trade of African people supplied to the Colonies of the New World This article discusses systems of slavery within Africa the history and effects of the slavery trade upon Africa The Arab Slave trade was the practice of Slavery in West Asia, North Africa, East Africa, and certain parts of Europe (such The history of slavery uncovers many different forms of human exploitation across many cultures throughout history Human trafficking is the recruitment transportation harbouring or receipt of people for the purposes of slavery forced labor (including bonded labor or debt bondage and servitude Sexual slavery refers to the organised coercion of persons into various different sexual practices forced Prostitution single-owner sexual slavery Abolitionism was a political movement of the 18th and 19th century which sought to make Slavery illegal particularly in the United States and British West Indies Involuntary servitude is a United States legal and Constitutional term for a person laboring against that person's will to benefit another under some form The Gulag was the government agency that administered the penal labor camps of the Soviet Union. Unfree labour is a generic or collective term for those work relations especially in modern or early modern history in which people are employed against their will Debt bondage or bonded labor is a means of paying off loans with direct labor instead of currency or goods An indentured servant is a form of Debt bondage worker The Laborer is under Contract of an Employer for some period of time usually three to Slavery is a social-economic system under which certain persons — known as slaves — are deprived of personal freedom and compelled to perform labour or services In Law legal status refers to the concept of individuals having a particular place in society relative to the law as it determines the laws which affect them Slavery in the United States began soon after English colonists first settled Virginia in 1607 and lasted until the passage of the Thirteenth Talbot County is a County located in the US state of Maryland. Hillsboro is a town in Caroline County Maryland, United States. He was separated from his mother, Harriet Bailey, when he was still an infant. She died when Douglass was about seven and Douglass lived with his maternal grandmother Betty Bailey. The identity of his father is obscure. Douglass originally stated that he was told his father was a white man, perhaps his owner Aaron Anthony; but he later said he knew nothing of his father's identity. White People is the second album by Handsome Boy Modeling School. At age six, Douglass was separated from his grandmother and moved to the Wye House plantation, where Anthony worked as overseer. Wye House is a large Southern frame Plantation house located in Talbot County Maryland, seven miles (11 km northwest of Easton. ^[1] When Anthony died, Douglass was given to Lucretia Auld, wife of Thomas Auld. She sent Douglass to serve Thomas' brother Hugh Auld in Baltimore.

When Douglass was about twelve, Hugh Auld's wife, Sophia, started teaching him the alphabet, thereby breaking the law against teaching slaves to read. When Sophia's husband discovered this, he strongly disapproved, saying that if a slave learned to read, he would become dissatisfied with his condition and desire freedom. Douglass later referred to this statement as the first anti-abolitionist speech he had ever heard. As detailed in his autobiography Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave (1845), Douglass succeeded in learning to read from white children in the neighborhood and by observing the writings of men with whom he worked. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass is a memoir and treatise on Abolition written by famous Orator and ex- Slave, Frederick

As he learned and began to read newspapers, political materials, and books of every description, the young Douglass was exposed to a new realm of thought that led him to question and then condemn the institution of slavery. In later years, Douglass would credit The Columbian Orator, which he discovered at about age twelve, with clarifying and defining his views of freedom and human rights. First appearing in 1797, The Columbian Orator, a collection of political essays poems and dialogues was widely used in American schoolrooms in the first quarter

When he was hired out to a Mr. Freeman, Douglass taught slaves how to read the New Testament at a Sabbath school on the plantation. As word spread, the interest among slaves in learning to read was so great that on any week over 40 slaves would attend lessons. For about six months, their study went relatively unnoticed. While Freeman himself remained complacent about their activities, other plantation owners became incensed that their slaves were being educated. One Sunday they burst in on the gathering, armed with clubs and stones to disperse the congregation permanently.

In 1833, Thomas Auld took Douglass back from his brother after a dispute ("as a means of punishing Hugh," Douglass wrote). Dissatisfied with Douglass, Thomas Auld then sent him to work for Edward Covey, a poor farmer who had a reputation as a "slave-breaker. Edward Covey (1800s Edward Covey was an early 19th-century American slaveholder. " There Douglass was whipped regularly. The sixteen-year-old Douglass was indeed nearly broken psychologically by his ordeal under Covey, but he finally rebelled against the beatings and fought back. After losing a confrontation with Douglass, Covey never tried to beat him again.

In 1837 in Baltimore, Douglass met Anna Murray, a free African American. In the history of Slavery in the Americas a free person of color was a person of full or partial African descent who was not enslaved They married soon after he obtained his freedom.

From slavery to freedom

Douglass first unsuccessfully tried to escape from Mr. Freeman, who hired him out from his owner, Colonel Lloyd. In 1836, he tried to escape from his new owner, Covey, but failed again.

On September 3, 1838, Douglass successfully escaped by boarding a train to Havre de Grace, Maryland, dressed in a sailor's uniform and carrying identification papers provided by a free black seaman. Events 36 BC - In the Battle of Naulochus, Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa, Admiral of Octavian, defeats Sextus Pompeius Year 1838 ( MDCCCXXXVIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common A train is a connected series of vehicles that move along a track ( Permanent way) to transport freight or passengers from one place to another Havre de Grace ( HDG) is a city in Harford County Maryland, United States. A uniform is a set of standard Clothing worn by members of an organization while participating in that organization's activity He crossed the Susquehanna River by ferry at Havre de Grace, then continued by train to Wilmington, Delaware. The Susquehanna River (originally "Sasquesahanough" per the 1612 John Smith map is a River located in the northeastern United States. See also Merchant ship A ferry is a form of transport usually a Boat or Ship, used to carry (or ferry) passengers and Wilmington is the largest city in the state of Delaware, United States and is located at the confluence of the Christina River and Brandywine Delaware ( is a state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. From there he went by steamboat to "Quaker City" — Philadelphia, Pennsylvania — and eventually reached New York; the whole journey took less than 24 hours. Philadelphia (ˌfɪləˈdɛlfiə The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania ( often colloquially referred to as PA (its abbreviation by natives and Northeasterners is a state located in the Northeastern The City of New York

Abolitionist activities

Douglass continued traveling up to Massachusetts. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts ( is a state located in the New England region of the northeastern United States. There he joined various organizations in New Bedford, including a black church, and regularly attended abolitionist meetings. The term black church or African American church refers to predominantly African-American Christian churches that minister to predominantly black congregations He subscribed to William Lloyd Garrison's weekly journal The Liberator, and in 1841 heard Garrison speak at a meeting of the Bristol Anti-Slavery Society. William Lloyd Garrison ( December 12 1805 – May 24 1879) was a prominent American abolitionist, journalist and social reformer The Liberator was an abolitionist newspaper founded by William Lloyd Garrison in 1831. At one of these meetings, Douglass was unexpectedly asked to speak. After he told his story, he was encouraged to become an anti-slavery lecturer. Douglass was inspired by Garrison and later stated that "no face and form ever impressed me with such sentiments [of the hatred of slavery] as did those of William Lloyd Garrison. " Garrison was likewise impressed with Douglass and wrote of him in The Liberator. Several days later, Douglass delivered his first speech at the Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society's annual convention in Nantucket. Then 23 years old, Douglass said later that his legs were shaking but he conquered his nervousness and gave an eloquent speech about his rough life as a slave.

In 1843, Douglass participated in the American Anti-Slavery Society's Hundred Conventions project, a six-month tour of meeting halls throughout the Eastern and Midwestern United States. The American Anti-Slavery Society (1833-1870 was an abolitionist society founded by William Lloyd Garrison and Arthur Tappan. The Eastern Half of The United States, the American East, or simply the East is traditionally defined as the states east of the Mississippi River. He participated in the Seneca Falls Convention, the birthplace of the American feminist movement, and signed its Declaration of Sentiments. The Seneca Falls Convention, held in Seneca Falls, New York on July 19 to July 20, 1848, was the first Women's rights Feminism is a discourse that involves various movements theories, and Philosophies which are concerned with the issue of Gender difference, advocate The Declaration of Sentiments is a document signed in 1848 by 68 women and 32 men delegates to the first Women's rights convention in Seneca Falls New York

Autobiography

Douglass' best-known work is his first autobiography Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, published in 1845. An autobiography, from the Greek αὐτός autos "self" βίος bios "life" and γράφειν graphein "to write" At the time, some skeptics attacked the book and questioned whether a black man could have produced such an eloquent piece of literature. Nevertheless, the book received generally positive reviews and it became an immediate bestseller. A bestseller is a Book that is identified as extremely popular by its inclusion on lists of currently top selling titles that are based on publishing industry and book trade Within three years of its publication, the autobiography had been reprinted nine times with 11,000 copies circulating in the United States; it was also translated into French and Dutch and published in Europe. French ( français,) is a Romance language spoken around the world by 118 million people as a native language and by about 180 to 260 million people Dutch ( is a West Germanic language spoken by around 24 million people 22 million of which are from the Netherlands, Belgium and Suriname

The book's success had an unfortunate side effect: Douglass' friends and mentors feared that the publicity would draw the attention of his ex-owner, Hugh Auld, who might try to get his "property" back. They encouraged Douglass to tour Ireland, as many other former slaves had done. Ireland (pronounced /ˈaɾlənd/ Éire) is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world Douglass set sail on the Cambria for Liverpool on August 16, 1845, and arrived in Ireland as the Irish Potato Famine was beginning. Liverpool ( is a City and Metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary Events 1384 - The Hongwu Emperor of Ming China, Emperor Dong hears a case of a couple who tore paper money bills while fighting Year 1845 ( MDCCCXLV) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common

Douglass published three versions of his autobiography during his lifetime (and revised the third of these), each time expanding on the previous one. The 1845 Narrative, which was his biggest seller, was followed by My Bondage and My Freedom in 1855. My Bondage and My Freedom is an autobiographical Slave narrative written by Frederick Douglass and published in 1855. In 1881, after the Civil War, Douglass brought out Life and Times of Frederick Douglass, which he revised in 1892. Causes of the war See also Origins of the American Civil War, Timeline of events leading to the American Civil War The coexistence of a slave-owning South Life and Times of Frederick Douglass is Frederick Douglass ' third autobiography published in 1881, revised in 1892.

Travels to Great Britain

Starting in August 1845, Douglass spent two years in Great Britain and Ireland and gave many lectures, mainly in Protestant churches or chapels. Belfast ( is the capital city of Northern Ireland and the seat of government in Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland (Tuaisceart Éireann Ulster Scots: Norlin Airlann) is a Country within the United Kingdom, lying in the northeast of See also Kingdom of Great Britain Great Britain (Breatainn Mhòr Prydain Fawr Breten Veur Graet Breetain is the larger of the two main islands Ireland (pronounced /ˈaɾlənd/ Éire) is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world Protestantism refers to the forms of Christian faith and practice that originated in the 16th century Protestant Reformation. His draw was such that some were "crowded to suffocation"; an example was his hugely popular London Reception Speech, which Douglass delivered at Alexander Fletcher's Finsbury Chapel in May 1846. The Rev Dr Alexander Fletcher (1787-1860 the Children's Friend, was a Scottish Presbyterian, and later an Independent ( Congregationalist) divine Douglass remarked that in England he was treated not "as a color, but as a man. " He met and befriended the Irish nationalist Daniel O'Connell. Irish nationalism (Náisiúnachas Éireannach refers to political and sociological movements and sentiment that embodies a love for Irish ancestry, culture and language and Daniel O'Connell ( 6 August 1775 &ndash 15 May 1847) ( Dónal Ó Conaill) known as The Liberator, or The Emancipator

It was during this trip that Douglass became officially free. His speeches about slavery and his experiences roused tumultuous crowds and he met with acclaim. In 1846 he got to meet with Thomas Clarkson, the last survivor of those who had persuaded Great Britain to abolish slavery. Thomas Clarkson ( 28 March 1760 &ndash 26 September 1846) abolitionist, was born at Wisbech, Cambridgeshire ^[2] British sympathizers led by Ellen Richardson of Newcastle quickly collected 700 pounds to pay off Douglass' former owner Hugh Auld and secure his freedom. ^[3] They happily gave the signed manumission to Douglass to guarantee his security.

Return to the United States

After his return to the United States, Douglass became the publisher of a series of newspapers: The North Star, Frederick Douglass Weekly, Frederick Douglass' Paper, Douglass' Monthly and New National Era. The North Star was an Abolitionist newspaper founded in 1847 by Frederick Douglass in Rochester New York. The motto of The North Star was "Right is of no Sex — Truth is of no Color — God is the Father of us all, and we are all brethren. A motto (from the Italian word motto, meaning witticism sentence is a phrase meant to formally describe the general motivation or intention of a social group "

Douglass believed that education was key for African Americans to improve their lives. For this reason, he was an early advocate for desegregation of schools. In the 1850s, he was especially outspoken in New York. While the ratio of African American to white students there was 1 to 40, African Americans received education funding at a ratio of only 1 to 1,600. This meant that the facilities and instruction for African-American children were vastly inferior. Douglass criticized the situation and called for court action to open all schools to all children. He stated that inclusion within the educational system was a more pressing need for African Americans than political issues such as suffrage.

Douglass' work spanned the years prior to and during the Civil War. Causes of the war See also Origins of the American Civil War, Timeline of events leading to the American Civil War The coexistence of a slave-owning South He was acquainted with the radical abolitionist John Brown but disapproved of Brown's plan to start an armed slave rebellion in the South. John Brown (May 9 1800 December 2 1859 was an American Abolitionist who advocated and practiced armed Insurrection as a means to end all Slavery A slave rebellion is an armed uprising by slaves. Slave rebellions have occurred in nearly all societies that practice slavery and are amongst the most feared events The Southern United States &mdashcommonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South &mdashconstitutes a large distinctive Brown visited Douglass' home two months before he led the raid on the federal armory in Harpers Ferry. The Harpers Ferry Armory, more formally the United States Armory and Arsenal at Harpers Ferry, located in Harpers Ferry West Virginia (then part of Virginia Harpers Ferry redirects here For other uses see Harpers Ferry (disambiguation. After the raid, Douglass fled for a time to Canada, fearing guilt by association and arrest as a co-conspirator. Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page Douglass believed that the attack on federal property would enrage the American public. Douglass later shared a stage at a speaking engagement in Harpers Ferry with Andrew Hunter, the prosecutor who successfully convicted Brown. Andrew Hunter was the District Attorney for Charles Town, Virginia, who prosecuted John Brown for the raid on Harpers Ferry.

Douglass conferred with President Abraham Lincoln in 1863 on the treatment of black soldiers, and with President Andrew Johnson on the subject of black suffrage. The President of the United States is the Head of state and Head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in United States by Abraham Lincoln (February 12 1809 &ndash April 15 1865 the sixteenth President of the United States, successfully led his country through its greatest internal Andrew Johnson (December 29 1808 – July 31 1875 was the seventeenth President of the United States (1865-69 succeeding to the Presidency upon the assassination Suffrage (from the Latin suffragium, meaning "voting tablet" and figuratively "right to vote" probably from suffrago "hough" and originally His early collaborators were the white abolitionists William Lloyd Garrison and Wendell Phillips. Wendell Phillips ( 29 November 1811 &ndash 2 February 1884) was an American Abolitionist, advocate for Native Americans In the early 1850s, however, Douglass split with those who supported Garrison over the issue of interpretation of the United States Constitution. The Constitution of the United States of America is the supreme Law of the United States. He believed it provided all that was necessary to gain the freedom of African Americans and guarantee their rights.

Civil War years

Before the Civil War

In 1851, Douglass merged the North Star with Gerrit Smith's Liberty Party Paper to form Frederick Douglass' Paper, which was published until 1860. Gerrit Smith ( March 6, 1797 &ndash December 28, 1874) was a leading United States social reformer Abolitionist, Douglass came to agree with Smith and Lysander Spooner that the United States Constitution was an anti-slavery document. The Constitution of the United States of America is the supreme Law of the United States. This reversed his earlier belief that it was pro-slavery.

At one time he had shared this view of William Lloyd Garrison, who was concerned that support for slavery was part of the fabric of the Constitution. William Lloyd Garrison ( December 12 1805 – May 24 1879) was a prominent American abolitionist, journalist and social reformer Garrison had publicly expressed his opinion by burning copies of the document. Further contributing to their growing separation, Garrison was worried that the North Star competed with his own National Anti-Slavery Standard and Marius Robinson's Anti-Slavery Bugle. The National Anti-Slavery Standard was the official weekly newspaper of the American Anti-Slavery Society, established in 1840 under the editorship of Lydia Maria

Douglass' change of position on the Constitution was one of the most notable incidents of the division in the abolitionist movement after the publication of Spooner's book The Unconstitutionality of Slavery in 1846. This shift in opinion, and other political differences, created a rift between Douglass and Garrison. Douglass further angered Garrison by saying that the Constitution could and should be used as an instrument in the fight against slavery. With this, Douglass began to assert his independence from Garrison and his supporters.

In March 1860, Douglass' youngest daughter Annie died in Rochester, New York, while he was still in England. Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York State, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Douglass returned from England the following month. He took a route through Canada to avoid detection.

By the time of the Civil War, Douglass was one of the most famous black men in the country, known for his orations on the condition of the black race and on other issues such as women's rights. Causes of the war See also Origins of the American Civil War, Timeline of events leading to the American Civil War The coexistence of a slave-owning South His eloquence gathered crowds at every location. His reception by leaders in England and Ireland added to his stature.

Fight for emancipation

Douglass and the abolitionists argued that because the aim of the war was to end slavery, African Americans should be allowed to engage in the fight for their freedom. Douglass publicized this view in his newspapers and several speeches.

On the night of December 31, 1862, President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which freed the slaves of the Confederacy while continuing slavery in Union-held areas. Events 406 – Vandals, Alans and Suebians cross the Rhine, beginning an invasion of Gallia. Year 1862 was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting on Monday Abraham Lincoln (February 12 1809 &ndash April 15 1865 the sixteenth President of the United States, successfully led his country through its greatest internal The Emancipation Proclamation consists of two executive orders issued by United States President Abraham Lincoln during the American Civil War. Douglass described the spirit of those awaiting the announcement: "We were waiting and listening as for a bolt from the sky. . . we were watching. . . by the dim light of the stars for the dawn of a new day. . . we were longing for the answer to the agonizing prayers of centuries. "^[4]

As the North was no longer obliged to return escaped slaves to the South, Douglass fought for equality for his people. He made plans with Lincoln to move the liberated slaves out of the South. Lincoln had expressed doubts that the war would ever end, but it did officially when the Confederate forces were defeated by the Union. The Confederate States of America (also called the Confederacy, the Confederate States, and CSA) formed as the government set up from 1861

Emancipation and the ending of slavery was ratified by passage of the 13th Amendment, which also granted citizenship to freedmen. The Fourteenth Amendment provided for civil rights for all people and equal protection under the law. The Fifteenth Amendment protected all citizens from being discriminated against in voting because of race.

Lincoln's death

At Abraham Lincoln's memorial, Douglass was in the audience while a tribute to Lincoln was being given by a prominent lawyer. Abraham Lincoln (February 12 1809 &ndash April 15 1865 the sixteenth President of the United States, successfully led his country through its greatest internal Some of the audience felt it did not do him justice and asked Douglass to speak. Reluctantly, Douglass stood up and spoke. With no preparation, he gave an eloquent tribute to the assassinated President, a speech for which he received much respect.

In the speech, Douglass spoke frankly about Lincoln, balancing the good and the bad in his account. He called Lincoln "the white man's president" and cited his tardiness in joining the cause of emancipation. He noted that Lincoln initially opposed the expansion of slavery but did not support its elimination. But Douglass also stated, "Can any colored man, or any white man friendly to the freedom of all men, ever forget the night which followed the first day of January 1863, when the world was to see if Abraham Lincoln would prove to be as good as his word?"^[5]

The crowd, roused by his speech, gave him a standing ovation. A witness later said, "I have heard Clay speak and many fantastic men, but never have I heard a speech as impressive as that. Henry Clay Sr ( April 12, 1777 &ndash June 29, 1852) was a nineteenth-century American statesman and Orator who " A long told anecdote claims that the widow Mary Lincoln gave Douglass Lincoln's favorite walking stick in appreciation. It still rests in Douglass' house known as Cedar Hill. This is a testimony both to the success of Douglass' tribute and to the effect of his powerful oratory.

Reconstruction era

After the Civil War, Douglass was appointed to several important political positions. He served as President of the Reconstruction-era Freedman's Savings Bank; as marshal of the District of Columbia; as minister-resident and consul-general to the Republic of Haiti (1889–1891); and as chargé d'affaires for the Dominican Republic. The Freedman's Saving and Trust Company, popularly known as the Freedman's Savings Bank, was a financial organization created by the U Washington DC ( formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D A consul general heads a Consulate general and is a consul of the highest rank serving at a principal location and usually responsible for other consular offices within Haiti ( English: ˈheɪ·tiː or haɪ·ˈjiː·tiː French Haïti a·i·ti Haitian Creole: The Dominican Republic ( Spanish: República Dominicana;) is a nation located in the Caribbean region and shares the island of Hispaniola with After two years, he resigned from his ambassadorship because of disagreements with U. S. government policy. In 1872, he moved to Washington, D.C., after his house on South Avenue in Rochester, New York burned down; arson was suspected. Washington DC ( formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York State, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Also lost was a complete issue of The North Star.

In 1868, Douglass supported the presidential campaign of Ulysses S. Grant. The United States presidential election of 1868 was the first presidential election to take place during Reconstruction. Ulysses S Grant, born Hiram Ulysses Grant (April 27 1822 &ndash July 23 1885 was an American general and the eighteenth President of the United States President Grant signed into law the Klan Act and the second and third Enforcement Acts. The Civil Rights Act of 1871, also known as the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871, is an important federal statute in force in the United States. The Enforcement Acts in the United States from 1870 to 1871 were meant to protect rights of southern blacks following ratification of the Fourteenth Grant used their provisions vigorously, suspending habeas corpus in South Carolina and sending troops there and into other states; under his leadership, over 5,000 arrests were made and the Ku Klux Klan received a serious blow. Habeas corpus (ˈheɪbiəs ˈkɔɹpəs ( Latin: command that you have the body is the name of a legal action or Writ, through which a person can seek relief South Carolina ( is a state in the southern region ( Deep South) of the United States of America. Ku Klux Klan ( KKK) is the name of several past and present secret domestic terrorist organizations in the United States, generally in the southern states that are Grant's vigor in disrupting the Klan made him unpopular among many whites, but Frederick Douglass praised him. An associate of Douglass wrote of Grant that African Americans "will ever cherish a grateful remembrance of his name, fame and great services. "

In 1872, Douglass became the first African American nominated for Vice President of the United States, as Victoria Woodhull's running mate on the Equal Rights Party ticket. The Vice President of the United States is the first person in the presidential line of succession, becoming the new President of the United States upon the death Victoria Claflin Woodhull ( September 23, 1838 &ndash June 9, 1927) was an American suffragist who was publicized This article is about United States political parties by this name He was nominated without his knowledge. During the campaign, he neither campaigned for the ticket nor acknowledged that he had been nominated.

Douglass continued his speaking engagements. On the lecture circuit, he spoke at many colleges around the country during the Reconstruction era, including Bates College in Lewiston, Maine in 1873. Bates College is a private liberal arts college located in Lewiston Maine, in the United States. Lewiston, in Androscoggin County, is the second-largest city in the U He continued to emphasize the importance of voting rights and exercise of suffrage.

White insurgents quickly arose in the South after the war, organizing first as vigilante groups like the Ku Klux Klan. A vigilante is a person who ignores Due process of law and enacts their own form of Justice in response to a perception of insufficient response by the Ku Klux Klan ( KKK) is the name of several past and present secret domestic terrorist organizations in the United States, generally in the southern states that are They took different forms through the years, the last as powerful paramilitary groups such as the White League and the Red Shirts during the 1870s in the Deep South. A paramilitary is a force whose function and organization are similar to those of a professional military force but which are not regarded as having the same status The White League was a white Paramilitary group which was established in 1874 in Louisiana and operated during Reconstruction. Their power grew in the South after Reconstruction, leading more than 10 years after the end of the war to white Democrats' regaining political power in every state of the former Confederacy and their reasserting white supremacy. They enforced this by a combination of violence, late 19th c. laws imposing segregation and a concerted effort to disfranchise African Americans. They passed new constitutions and statutes in the South from 1890-1908 that created requirements for voter registration and voting that effectively disfranchised most blacks and many poor whites. ^[6] This disfranchisement and segregation were enforced for more than six decades into the 20th century.

Family life

Douglass and Anna had five children: Charles Remond Douglass, Rosetta Douglass, Lewis Henry Douglass, Frederick Douglass Jr. , and Annie Douglass (died at 10). The two oldest, Charles and Rossetta, helped produce his newspapers.

Douglass was an ordained minister of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. The African Methodist Episcopal Church, usually called the " AME Church " is a Christian denomination founded by Bishop Richard Allen in Philadelphia

In 1877, Douglass bought his final home in Washington D.C., on a hill above the Anacostia River. Washington DC ( formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D The Anacostia River is a River that flows about 84 mi (135 km) from Prince George's County in Maryland, USA and He named it Cedar Hill (also spelled CedarHill). The Frederick Douglass National Historic Site, administered by the National Park Service, is located at 1411 W St He expanded the house from 14 to 21 rooms, and included a china closet. One year later, he expanded his property to 15 acres (61,000 m²) by buying adjoining lots. The home has been designated the Frederick Douglass National Historic Site. The Frederick Douglass National Historic Site, administered by the National Park Service, is located at 1411 W St

After the disappointments of whites' regaining power in the South after Reconstruction, many African Americans, called Exodusters, moved to Kansas to form all-black towns where they could be free. Exodusters was a name given to black Americans who fled the Southern United States for Kansas in 1879 and 1880 Kansas ( is a Midwestern state in the central region of the United States of America, an area often referred to as the American " Douglass spoke out against the movement, urging blacks to stick it out. He was condemned and booed by black audiences.

In 1877, Douglass was appointed a United States Marshal. In 1881, he was appointed Recorder of Deeds for the District of Columbia. Recorder of deeds refers to the government office tasked with maintaining a record of Real estate ownership as well as other Deeds that provide persons other than Washington DC ( formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D His wife, Anna Murray Douglas, died in 1882, leaving him depressed. His association with the activist Ida B. Wells brought meaning back into his life. Ida Bell Wells ( July 16, 1862 &ndash March 25, 1931) aka Ida B

In 1884, Douglass married Helen Pitts, a white feminist from Honeoye, New York. Helen Pitts (1838 - 1903 was an American Suffragette and the second wife of Frederick Douglass. Honeoye is a hamlet in the town of Richmond, county of Ontario, New York, 33 miles (53 kilometers south of downtown Rochester New Pitts was the daughter of Gideon Pitts, Jr. , an abolitionist colleague and friend of Douglass. Pitts was a graduate of Mount Holyoke College (then called Mount Holyoke Female Seminary). Mount Holyoke College is a liberal arts women's college in South Hadley, Massachusetts. She had worked on a radical feminist publication named Alpha while living in Washington, D. C. The couple faced a storm of controversy with their marriage, since she was both white and nearly 20 years younger than he. Her family stopped speaking to her; his was bruised, as his children felt his marriage was a repudiation of their mother. But feminist Elizabeth Cady Stanton congratulated the couple. Elizabeth Cady Stanton (November 12 1815 &ndash October 26 1902 was an American social activist and leading figure of the early woman's movement. ^[7] The new couple traveled to England, France, Italy, Egypt and Greece from 1886 to 1887. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest This article is about the country of Egypt For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Egypt topics. Greece (Ελλάδα transliterated: Elláda, historically, Ellás,) officially the Hellenic Republic (Ελληνική Δημοκρατία

In later life, Douglass was determined to ascertain his birthday. He adopted February 14 as his birthday because his mother Harriet Bailey used to call him her "little valentine". Events 842 - Charles the Bald and Louis the German swear the Oaths of Strasbourg in the French and German By his calculations, he was born in February 1817. As described below, later historians have found a record indicating his birth in February 1818.

In 1892 the Haitian government appointed Douglass as its commissioner to the Chicago World's Columbian Exposition. Chicago (ʃɪˈkɑːgoʊ is the largest City by population in the state of Illinois and the American Midwest of the United States. The World's Columbian Exposition (also called The Chicago World's Fair) a World's Fair, was held in Chicago in 1893 to celebrate the 400th anniversary He spoke for Irish Home Rule and the efforts of leader Charles Stewart Parnell in Ireland. Home rule refers to a demand that constituent parts of a state be given greater self-government within the greater administrative purview of the central government Charles Stewart Parnell ( 27 June 1846 &ndash 6 October 1891) was an Irish Protestant landowner nationalist He briefly revisited Ireland in 1886.

Death

On February 20, 1895, Douglass attended a meeting of the National Council of Women in Washington, D. Events 1472 - Orkney and Shetland are left by Norway to Scotland, due to a Dowry payment Year 1895 ( MDCCCXCV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year C. During that meeting, he was brought to the platform and given a standing ovation by the audience.

Shortly after he returned home, Frederick Douglass died of a massive heart attack or stroke in his adopted hometown of Washington, D. Myocardial infarction ( MI or AMI for acute myocardial infarction) also known as a heart attack, occurs when the blood supply C. He is buried in Mount Hope Cemetery in Rochester, New York. Mount Hope is the name of hundreds of cemeteries, including over 200 in the United States alone Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York State, south of Lake Ontario in the United States.

In 1921, members of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity designated Frederick Douglass as an honorary member. Alpha Phi Alpha ( ΑΦΑ) is the first intercollegiate fraternity established by African Americans Founded on December 4 1906 on the campus of Theirs was the first African-American intercollegiate fraternity. Douglass was the only man to receive an honorary membership posthumously. ^[8]

Establishing date of birth

In successive autobiographies, Douglass gave more precise estimates of when he was born, his final estimate being February 1817. See also Protests of 1968 Historically the civil rights movement was a concentrated period of time around the world of approximately twenty years (1960-1980 in Douglass was born on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, where slaves were punished for learning to read or write and so could not keep records. The Eastern Shore of Maryland is composed of the state's nine counties east of the Chesapeake Bay. Historian Dickson Preston examined the records of Douglass' former owner Aaron Anthony and determined that February 1818 was when Douglass was born. This data was published in William McFeely's Frederick Douglass.

Works

Writings

• A Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave (1845)
• "The Heroic Slave. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass is a memoir and treatise on Abolition written by famous Orator and ex- Slave, Frederick " Autographs for Freedom. Ed. Julia Griffiths, Boston: Jewett and Company, 1853. pp. 174-239.
• My Bondage and My Freedom (1855)
• Life and Times of Frederick Douglass (1881, revised 1892)
• Douglass also was editor of the abolitionist newspaper The North Star from 1847 to 1851. My Bondage and My Freedom is an autobiographical Slave narrative written by Frederick Douglass and published in 1855. Life and Times of Frederick Douglass is Frederick Douglass ' third autobiography published in 1881, revised in 1892. He merged The North Star with another paper to create the Frederick Douglass' Paper.

Speeches

• "The Church and Prejudice" - delivered at the Plymouth County Anti-Slavery Society on November 4, 1841
• "What To The Slave Is The 4th Of July?" - delivered in Rochester, New York, on July 5, 1852
• "Fighting Rebels With Only One Hand" - in Douglass' Monthly in September 1861
• "What the Black Man Wants" - delivered at the Annual Meeting of the Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society in Boston, April 1865

Cultural representation

• The 1989 film Glory featured Frederick Douglass' reviewing the new unit of Black Union Army soldiers as they prepared to join the war. Events 1333 - Flood of the Arno River, causing massive damage in Florence as recorded by the Florentine chronicler Giovanni Villani For the game see 1841 (board game. Year 1841 ( MDCCCXLI) was a Common year starting on Friday (link Events 1295 - Scotland and France form an alliance the beginnings of the Auld Alliance, against England. Year 1852 ( MDCCCLII) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year Glory is a 1989 drama War film based on the history of the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Regiment during the American Civil War
• In the 2004 mockumentary C.S.A.: The Confederate States of America, Douglass is featured after the Confederacy wins the Civil War. Mockumentary (also known as a pseudo-documentary) a Portmanteau of Mock and documentary, is a film and TV Genre, or a single work CSA The Confederate States of America is a 2004 Mockumentary directed by Kevin Willmott. The Confederate States of America (also called the Confederacy, the Confederate States, and CSA) formed as the government set up from 1861
• Frederick Douglass is a major character in the alternate history novel How Few Remain by Harry Turtledove. Alternate history or alternative history is a subgenre of Speculative fiction (or Science fiction) and Historical fiction How Few Remain is a 1997 alternate history novel by Harry Turtledove. Harry Norman Turtledove (born June 14 1949) is an American historian and novelist who has written Historical fiction, Fantasy, and

See also

• The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
• List of African-American abolitionists
• Slave narrative
• African-American literature
• Self-Made Men (Frederick Douglass)
• The Columbian Orator

Notes

• Parts of this article are drawn from Houston A. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass is a memoir and treatise on Abolition written by famous Orator and ex- Slave, Frederick Peter H Clark Samuel Cornish William Craft Martin Delany (1812&ndash1885 Frederick The slave narrative is a literary form which grew out of the experience of enslaved Africans in Britain and the its colonies. African American literature is the body of Literature produced in the United States by writers of African descent " Self-Made Men " is a famous lecture by Frederick Douglass (1818 &ndash 1895 First appearing in 1797, The Columbian Orator, a collection of political essays poems and dialogues was widely used in American schoolrooms in the first quarter Baker, Jr. , introduction to the 1986 Penguin edition of Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass.

References

Further reading

Scholarship

• Gates, Jr., Henry Louis, ed. Henry Louis “Skip” Gates Jr (born September 16, 1950) is an American literary critic, educator scholar writer editor and Public intellectual Frederick Douglass, Autobiography (Library of America, 1994) ISBN 978-0-94045079-0
• Foner, Philip Sheldon. The Library of America (LoA is a Nonprofit Publisher of classic American literature. Philip S Foner ( December 14, 1910 - December 13, 1994) was a United States historian and author The Life and Writings of Frederick Douglass. New York: International Publishers, 1950.
• Huggins, Nathan Irvin, and Oscar Handlin. Nathan Irvin Huggins (1927-1989 a distinguished American Historian, author and educator Slave and Citizen: The Life of Frederick Douglass. Library of American Biography. Boston: Little, Brown, 1980; Longman (1997). ISBN 0673393429
• Lampe, Gregory P. Frederick Douglass: Freedom's Voice,. Rhetoric and Public Affairs Series. East Lansing: Michigan State University Press, 1998. ISBN-X (alk. paper) ISBN (pbk. alk. paper) (on his oratory)
• Levine, Robert S. Martin Delany, Frederick Douglass, and the Politics of Representative Identity. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1997. ISBN (alk. paper). ISBN (pbk. : alk. paper) (cultural history)
• McFeely, William S. Frederick Douglass. New York: Norton, 1991. ISBN
• Quarles, Benjamin. Frederick Douglass. Washington: Associated Publishers, 1948.
• Webber, Thomas, Deep Like Rivers: Education in the Slave Quarter Community 1831-1865. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc. (1978).
• Woodson, C. G. , The Education of the Negro Prior to 1861: A History of the Education of the Colored People of the United States from the Beginning of Slavery to the Civil War. New York: G. P. Putnam’s Sons, (1915); Indy Publ. (2005) ISBN 1421926709

For Young Readers

• Miller, William. Frederick Douglass: The Last Day of Slavery. Illus. by Cedric Lucas. Lee & Low Books, 1995. ISBN 1880000423
• Weidt, Maryann N. Voice of Freedom: a Story about Frederick Douglass. Illus. by Jeni Reeves. Lerner Publications, (2001). ISBN 1-575-05553-8

Documentary Films

• Frederick Douglass [videorecording] / produced by Greystone Communications, Inc. for A&E Network ; executive producers, Craig Haffner and Donna E. Lusitana. ; 1997
• Frederick Douglass: When the Lion Wrote History [videorecording] / a co-production of ROJA Productions and WETA-TV.
• Frederick Douglass, Abolitionist Editor [videorecording] / a production of Schlessinger Video Productions.
• Race to Freedom [videorecording] : the story of the underground railroad / an Atlantis Films Limited production in association with United Image Entertainment.

External links

Douglass' sources online

• Works by Frederick Douglass at Internet Archive (scanned books original editions illustrated)
• Works by Frederick Douglass at Project Gutenberg (plain text)
• Works by Frederick Douglass a Online Books Page
• The Louverture Project: Frederick Douglass lecture on Haiti - Given at the World's Fair in Chicago, January 1893. The Internet Archive ( IA) is a Nonprofit organization dedicated to maintaining an on-line Library and archive of Web and Project Gutenberg, abbreviated as PG, is a volunteer effort to Digitize, archive and distribute Cultural works The Online Books Page is an index of E-text books available on the Internet.
• The Heroic Slave at the Documenting the American South website.
• Fourth of July Speech

Biographical information

• Frederick Douglass Project at the University of Rochester.
• Frederick Douglass (American Memory, Library of Congress) Includes timeline. The Library of Congress is the De facto National library of the United States and the research arm of the United States Congress
• Timeline of Frederick Douglass and family
• Frederick Douglas Timeline
• Read more about Frederick Douglass
• Frederick Douglass NHS - Douglass' Life
• Frederick Douglass NHS - Cedar Hill National Park Service site
• Frederick Douglass Western New York Suffragists
• Mr. Lincoln and Freedom: Frederick Douglass
• Mr. Lincoln's White House: Frederick Douglass

Memorials to Frederick Douglass

• Frederick Douglas National Historic Site The Washington, DC home of Frederick Douglass
• Frederick Douglass Gardens at Cedar Hill Frederick Douglass Gardens
• The Frederick Douglass Prize A national book prize sponsored by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History in New York and the Gilder Lehrman Center for the Study of Slavery, Resistance and Abolition at Yale University. The National Park Service ( NPS) is the United States federal agency that manages all National Parks, many National Monuments, and other conservation The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, founded in New York by Richard Gilder and Lewis E

Preceded by None

United States Equal Rights Party Vice-Presidential Nominee 1872

Succeeded by Marietta Stow (National Equal Rights Party)

Persondata
NAME	Douglass, Frederick
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION	American abolitionist
DATE OF BIRTH	February 1818
PLACE OF BIRTH	Talbot County, Maryland, United States
DATE OF DEATH	February 20, 1895
PLACE OF DEATH	Washington, D.C., U.S.

This article is about United States political parties by this name Marietta Lois Beers Stow (died 1902 ran for Governor of California as the candidate of the Women's Independent Political Party Events 1472 - Orkney and Shetland are left by Norway to Scotland, due to a Dowry payment Year 1895 ( MDCCCXCV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Washington DC ( formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D The United States of America —commonly referred to as the

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