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Birth of Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey
Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey was born into slavery in Talbot County, Maryland, around 1818. The exact year and date of Douglass' birth are unknown, though later in life he chose to celebrate it on February 14. -
Learning
Comitting the crime of teaching slaves to read and write, Hugh Auld’s wife Sophia taught Douglass the alphabet when he was 12. When Hugh Auld didnt like his wife’s lessons, Douglass continued to learn from white children and others in the neighborhood. -
Escaping Slavery
He fled the on September 3, 1838. He traveled by train, then steamboat, then train, and finally arrived in New York City the following day. Several weeks later after he had settled in New Bedford, Massachusetts, living with his newlywed bride under his new name, Frederick Douglass. -
Upgrades
After attending an anti-slavery convention on Nantucket Island, Douglass became a lecturer for the Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society and a colleague of William Lloyd Garrison. This work led him into public speaking and writing. He published his own newspaper, The North Star -
His First Speech
Douglass gave his first speech at the Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society's annual convention in Nantucket. Crowds were not always accepting towards Douglass. While participating in an 1843 lecture tour through the Midwest, Douglass was chased and beaten by an angry mob. -
His First Book
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. Some people doubted that a former slave without formal education could have produced such great literature. -
Arriving in Ireland
Douglass set sail for Liverpool on August 16, 1845, going to Ireland as the Irish Potato Famine was starting. He stayed in Ireland and Britain for two years. He spoke to large crowds on the horrible things of slavery. -
Now Free...
He stayed in Ireland and Britain for two 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, Douglass returned to the United States a free man. -
Womens Rights
n addition to abolition, Douglass became an outspoken supporter of women’s rights. In 1848, he was the only African American to attend the first women's rights convention at Seneca Falls, New York. -
Civil War thoughts
Frederick Douglass welcomed the Civil War in 1861 as a moral crusade to end the evil of slavery. During the war he worked as a fierce propagandist of the Union cause and emancipation, as a recruiter of black troops, and on two occasions as a teacher to President Abraham Lincoln. -
Political info
As a stalwart Republican, Douglass was appointed marshal (1877-1881) and recorder of deeds (1881-1886) for the District of Columbia, and chargé d’affaires for Santo Domingo and minister to Haiti (1889-1891). -
Death
On February 20, 1895, Douglass attended a meeting of the National Council of Women in Washington, D.C. After returning home, Frederick Douglass died of a massive heart attack or stroke.
