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Frederick Douglass Biography Essay

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When you think of influential African Americans in the 1800's, who do you think of? Perhaps you don't think any because you probably think they are all slaves. But there are a couple of them, one of the most influential African Americans was Frederick Douglass. He was born into slavery, escaped slavery, published many things, and lived a free life.

Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey was born into slavery in Talbot County, Maryland, around 1818. Douglass lived with his maternal grandmother, Betty Bailey. At a young age. Douglass was born with a white father he never met and his mother died when Douglass was only 7 years old. "Frederick was born an a plantation and he was later sent to a ship builder where he learned new skills and how to read and write at age 12"( "Frederick Douglass biography"1).

" Frederick Douglass tried to escape from slavery twice before he succeeded. He was assisted in his final attempt by Anna Murray, a free black woman in Baltimore that he had fallen in love with" ("Frederick Douglass biography"1). On September 3, 1838, Douglass boarded a train to Havre de Grace, Maryland, and the woman he loved gave him some money, a new outfit, and papers saying he was a free sailor. …show more content…

Eventually he was asked to tell his story at abolitionist meetings, where he told them the abuse that they had on the plantation like the beating and the poor work and living conditions. "Frederick wanted to promote freedom for all slaves, he published a newspaper in Rochester, New York, called The North Star" ("Frederick Douglass--Abolitionist Leader"1). The name came from slaves escaping at night because they followed the North Star in the sky to freedom. Douglass's goals were to "abolish slavery in all its forms, and in 1863 he influenced the role of African Americans in the civil

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