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THE BIRTH OF FREDERICK DOUGLASS
He was born into slavery in Talbot County, Maryland. The exact date of his birth is unknown, and he later chose to celebrate his birthday on February 14, which is stated in his first autobiography. -
Douglass Becomes a House Servant
At the age of seven, Douglass leaves his grandmother and was sent to Baltimore to become a house servant to the Hugh Ald family. -
Douglass learns the Alphabet
At age 12, Hugh Auld's wife Sophia started teaching Douglass the alphabet. Hugh Auld disapproved this because he thought that it would encourage him to become free. Later on, Douglass continued to learn to read and write secrecy. -
Douglass' First Attempt to Escape
Douglass made a resolution that he would be free by the end of the year. He planned an escape from his master, Edward Covey, But he was put in jail after his plan was discovered. -
Douglass' First Love
Douglass met and fell in love with Anna Murray, a free black woman in Baltimore. Because of her free status, his belief of gaining his own freedom became stronger. -
Successful Escape
Douglass successfully escaped by boarding a train to Havre de Grace, Maryland. Anne Murray had provided Douglass with some of her savings and a sailor's uniform. He carried ID papers that were taken from a free black seaman. Douglass made his way to the safe house of abolitionist David Ruggles in New York in less than 24 hours. -
A New Life
Once Douglas arrived in New York, he contacted Anne Murray to meet him there, where they decided to get married and adopted the name of Johnson to hide Frederick's identity. Anna and Frederick then settled in New Bedford, Massachusetts, which had a large free black community. There they adopted Douglass as their married name. -
New (Church) Life
After settling in, Douglass decided to join different organizations within the free black community. So, he joined a black church, which had notable members like Harriet Tubman and Sojourner Truth. He also became a licensed preacher in 1839. At the Church, he was a steward, Sunday School superintendent, and sexton -
The Children
During his lifetime, Frederick Douglass had 5 kids: Rosetta Douglass, Lewis Henry Douglass, Frederick Douglass Jr., Charles Remond Douglass, and Annie Douglass (died at the age of ten due to unknown causes) Charles and Rosetta helped produce Douglass' newspapers -
Finally Known
William Lloyd Garrison, founder of The Liberator, was very impressed with Douglass’ language skills,and wrote about him in his newspaper. Several days after the story ran, Douglass delivered his first speech at a Massachusetts Anti-Slavery convention. Sometimes Crowds were not always hospitable to Douglass. While participating in a lecture in the Midwest, Douglass was chased and beaten by an angry mob before being rescued by a local Quaker family. -
First Autobiography
Despite information that might risk his freedom, Douglass published his autobiography, The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave -
Brand New Newspapers
When he returned from Europe, Douglass produced some abolitionist newspapers: The North Star, Frederick Douglass Weekly, Frederick Douglass' Paper, Douglass' Monthly and New National Era. 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." -
Part of Women's Rights
Douglass became an outspoken supporter of women’s rights. In fact, he was the only African American to attend the first women's rights convention at Seneca Falls, New York. Douglass urged the gathering to support the right to vote for both genders regardless of race -
Second Autobiography
in 1855, Frederick Douglass published a second novel called My Bondage and My Freedom -
Talks with the President
By the time of the Civil War, Douglass was one of the most famous black men in the country. He used this to influence the role of African Americans in the war and their status in the country. In 1863, Douglass talked with President Abraham Lincoln about the treatment of black soldiers -
Vice President
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 in 1872. Nominated without his knowledge or consent, Douglass never campaigned. However, his nomination marked the first time that an African American appeared on a presidential ballot. -
Third Autobiography.
In 1881, after the Civil War, Douglass published Life and Times of Frederick Douglass, which was later revised in 1892. -
Second Marriage
After Anna Murray’s death in 1882, Douglass married Helen Pitts in 1884, a white feminist from Honeoye, New York. Pitts was the daughter of Gideon Pitts Jr., an abolitionist colleague. -
Other Government Jobs
Not only was Frederick Douglass nominated for Vice President, but he also was the first black U.S. Marshall and was even appointed as the U.S. Minister to Haiti in 1889. In 1888, Douglass was invited to speak at the presidential nominating convention of Republican Party and became the first African American to receive a vote for President of U.S. in a major party’s roll call vote. -
Death of Frederick Douglass
On February 20, 1895, Douglass attended a meeting of the National Council of Women in Washington, D.C. During that meeting, he was brought to the platform and received a standing ovation. Shortly after he returned home, Frederick Douglass died of a massive heart attack He was 77.
