Frederick Douglass Expert Paper
Frederick Douglass
Early Life
Schooling
Slave Life
Free & Family Life
Antislavery Movement
Writings
Travels
The Civil War
Advocate for black men to serve as troops in the war
Suffrage
Reconstruction
After Reconstruction
Early Life
- Frederick Douglass was born in a slave cabin in February 1818 near Easton, MD
- Exact birthday unknown, he chose to celebrate it Feb 14.
- Born Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey
- His father was white
- Raised by his grandparents after being separated from his mother.
- Left at his master’s slave plantation at age 6
- Was never told he was being left, never got over being abandoned
- At age 8, he was sent to Baltimore to serve for some of his master’s relatives
Schooling
- His new master’s mistress taught him the alphabet
- Her husband forbid her from continuing to teach the alphabet because it was illegal
- Douglass traded food for lessons in reading and writing with the neighborhood boys
- Purchased his first book at age 13, The Columbian Orator
Slave Life
- Became a field hand at age 15
- Escaped from slavery in September 1838 (age 20)
- One of the best known anti slavery proponents
- Tried to escape in 1833, but was discovered before he could get away
- 1838 – fled to NY – escaped by disguising himself as a sailor
- Escaped on a train, did not have “free papers” necessary to travel; he borrowed seaman’s papers and used those to board the train
Free & Family Life
- Settled in Massachusetts with wife Anna Murray, a free black woman who helped him escape slavery (September 1838)
- Taught in a Sabbath School in Baltimore, MD until he was 20.
- It was here that he continued to develop his reading and writing skills
- After speaking at an abolitionist meeting at the Bristol Anti-Slavery Society, he was encouraged to be a speaker and advocate against slavery.
- Inspired by William Lloyd Garrison
- Gave his first speech at age 23
- Had 5 children, 3 boys and 2 girls. The youngest girl died at age 10.
- The death of his youngest daughter is what prompted his return from speaking out against slavery in Europe
- 1877 – moved family to Washington DC
- Douglass’s house burned down, arson was suspected but never confirmed
- Anna Murray Douglass died in 1882
- Douglas remarried a white woman in 1884 and the two were publicly bashed
- Close friend Elizabeth Cady Stanton defended them in writing
Antislavery Movement
- Joined the abolitionist movement in 1841
- Called the Father of the Civil Rights Movement
- Participated in the American Anti-Slavery Society’s Hundred Conventions Project and went on a 6 month tour where he spoke in town halls and churches against slavery
- Accosted frequently during his speeches
- Was beaten badly by an angry mob at one event and was rescued by a local family (Pendelton, IN – 1843)
- Close friends with John Brown, but did not support his violent approaches
- Douglass was disapproving of John Brown’s actions at Harper’s Ferry in 1859
Writings
- Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave (autobiography published in 1845)
- My Bondage and my freedom (published in 1855)
- Life and Times of Frederick Douglass (published in 1881, revised in 1882)
- Creator of The North Star, an abolitionist paper (1847-1851)
- Creator of the Frederick Douglass Paper, another abolitionist paper
- Many were skeptic of his writings, saying there was no way an African American man could have written such brilliant things
- Keynote speaker at many important historical events, such as the unveiling of the Emancipation Memorial
- Wrote several famous speeches
- The Church and Prejudice
- Self-Made Men
- Speech at National Hall
- What to a slave is the 4th of July?
- The North Star eventually ruined Douglass’s friendship with William Lloyd Garrison, who saw no need for a separate paper for blacks
- The North Star was funded by money sent from Douglass’s friends and supporters in Britain
Travels
- Traveled to Ireland after the publication of his first book, which revealed the name of his former slave master. His friends feared for his safety and thought his former master might try to reclaim his “property”. Douglass set off to tour Ireland to stay safe.
- Lectured for two years in Ireland and Britain.
- British supporters of Douglass helped raise money to legally secure his freedom from his former master
The Civil War
Advocate for black men to serve as troops in the war
- Advocate for universal emancipation
- Advisor/consultant to Lincoln, helped convince him to let slaves fight in the war
- Emancipation Proclamation declared all slaves free and eligible to serve in the union army
- Douglass worked as a recruiter for union army trying to get freed slaves to enlist
- Both of Douglass’s sons served in the war
- 54th regiment in Massachusetts
- At one point, Douglass supported John C. Fremont when he ran against Lincoln for president
- Worked in the Underground Railroad, helping blacks move to the north from the south and into Canada
- Spoke publicly about Abe Lincoln after his death, calling him the greatest president
Suffrage
- Douglass was disappointed in Lincoln when he did not endorse the right to vote for blacks
- Elizabeth M’Clintock invited him to attend the first Women’s Rights Convention in Seneca Falls, NY
- Supported women’s suffrage
- One of the few men present at the women’s suffrage movement in Seneca Falls, NY
- Elizabeth Cady Stanton gave Douglass a lot of credit for helping to spread the word and get support of women’s suffrage
- Worked closely with Susan B Anthony to support women’s suffrage
- Douglass supported the 14th and 15th amendments, which caused tension between him and Stanton and Anthony, who did not support the 15th amendment because it excluded women
- In 1866, Douglass helped found the Equal Rights Association with Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton
- The Equal Rights Association ended after tension between Women’s Rights and African American Rights
- Douglas believed black men should receive suffrage first
- Once the 15th amendment passed, Douglass resumed advocating for women’s suffrage and published “Women and the Ballot in 1870
Reconstruction
- Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson were presidents during this time, Douglass remained close with Lincoln
- Served as president of the Freedman’s Savings Bank for two years
- Supported Ulysses S. Grant’s run for president
- While Grant was president, over 5,000 members of the KKK were arrested
- 1872 – Douglass was the first black man to be nominated for Vice President of the US, but did not acknowledge that he was nominated and did not campaign for the position
- Spoke at several colleges throughout reconstruction era, focused heavily on suffrage for blacks and women
- Douglass spoke out against blacks that were fleeing their towns, urging them to stick it out
After Reconstruction
- 1877-1881 – became a US Marshal under President Hayes
- Served as the Recorder or Deeds in Washington DC under president Garfield
- At the 1888 Republican National Convention, Douglass was the first black man to receive a vote for president
- US minister to Haiti from 1889-1891, appointed by President Harrison
- Secretary of the Commission for Santo Domingo, appointed by President Grant
- Fought for citizens rights for African Americans, not just colonization