Frederick Douglass

Frederick Douglass

Frederick Douglass was one of the most important black leaders of the Antislavery movement. He

was born in 1817 in Talbot County, MD. He was the son of Harriet Bailey and an unknown white man.

His mother was a slave so therefore he was born a slave. He lived with his grandparents until the age of

eight, so he never knew his mother well. When he turned eight, he was sent to "Aunt Kathy," a woman

who took care of slave children on the plantation of Colonel Edward Lloyd. When he was nine, he was

sent to Baltimore where he lived with Mr. and Mrs. Hugh Auld. He started to study reading with Mrs.

Auld but Mr. Auld forbid it. However, he still managed to learn anyway. To cause him to comply with

slavery more easily, Mr. Auld sent to him to Edward Covey, a man who specialized in breaking down the

spirits of rebellious slaves, or a "slave breaker." While there, he was beaten daily for the slightest offense

against the strict rules. One day he finally fought back in a fight !

that lasted two hours, and forced Covey to stop trying to "break" him. He was returned to Auld, where he

was sent to a shipyard to learn the caulker's trade. But that didn't stop his education, he not only learned

caulking but he also learned to write by tracing the letters on the ship front. Using seaman's papers given to

him by a free black he escaped by sea. He tried to get work as a caulker but racial discrimin...

Frederick Douglass

Login

Join