{ Frederick Douglass Anna Ryu AP U.S. History – 4

 Born in February of 1818 into slavery in Talbot County, Maryland  His mother was a slave, but his father was a white man, who may have been one the owners of the plantation Douglass lived in  His mother died when he was 10 years old  When his master died, Douglass was sent to Hugh Auld at his home in Baltimore  Auld’s wife, Sophia, illegally taught Douglass how to read and write  He became one of the most famous civil rights activist and human rights leader Life

 Frederick Douglass attempted to escape from slavery twice before he succeeded  He was assisted by Anna Murray during his final attempt  They married on September 15, 1838, and settled in New Bedford, Massachusetts, which had a thriving free black community  Douglass gave his first speech at the Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society’s annual convention Freedom

 He wrote and published his first autobiography, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, in 1845  His book became a bestseller and Douglass gained much fame as a runaway slave  Douglass left for Ireland in order to escape recapture  There, he garnered many fans who collected money to purchase his legal freedom  Douglass came back to America in 1847 as a free man Freedom

 Douglass produced several abolitionist papers  Spent the rest of his life giving speeches, and became a leading spokesperson for the abolition of slavery and for racial equality  Conferred with President Abraham Lincoln regarding the treatment of black soldiers during the Civil War, and also with President Andrew Johnson on the subject of black suffrage  He also advocated for women’s rights  He was appointed to several political positions after the Civil War, and was the first black citizen to hold a high U.S. government rank Career & Legacy

 PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 09 Nov  "Frederick Douglass Biography." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 09 Nov Bibliography