Frederick Augustus Bailey was born a slave in Talbot County, Maryland, west of Tuckahoe Creek. Douglass did not know the precise date of his birth, but later research has shown it was February—probably February 14—1818. His mother Harriet called him her little “Valentine,” confirming the date. He never knew the identity of his father, though it was plain he was of mixed race. There were rumors that he was the son of his white owner, Aaron Anthony. Anthony had an estate, but he also managed the plantations of Edward Lloyd, one of Maryland’s richest men
Frederick Douglass’ Slave Years
Young Frederick saw little of his mother, who was on another plantation. She died when he was about seven. He ended up on one of the Lloyd properties, and it was there he witnessed his first atrocity—the brutal flogging of his Aunt Hester by Aaron Anthony.
Lucretia Auld, daughter of Anthony, seems to have taken a liking to Douglass, and sent him to Baltimore to work for her brother-in-law Hugh Auld. This was a step up, since Baltimore was an exciting city, and Douglass would be spared the harsh life of a field hand. When Douglass was about 12, Sophia Auld, Hugh's wife, ,started to teach him to read. It opened up a new world for him. But later, when Hugh found out what Sophia was doing, the lessons abruptly stopped. Hugh was angry, declaring that once a slave learned to read and write, he would be unhappy with his lot. Douglas remembered this as the first “anti-slavery” remark he ever heard.
Douglas managed to further his clandestine education by borrowing book from same-age white schoolboys. In the southern culture of the time, it was acceptable for black and white children to play with each other.
By the time he was 18 he was working in a shipyard as a caulker. It was the custom for the white master to take a slave’s salary, but he was allowed to keep a portion of his wages. He read voraciously, and also met free black Anna Murray, who would be his wife
Douglass Becomes a Prominent Abolitionist
Douglass escaped slavery by boarding a ship and posing as a free black seaman. Black seamen were common at the time, and he had enough faked papers to “prove” his status. He soon was in Philadelphia, which was free territory, and proceeded to Massachusetts. He changed his name to Douglass, so slave-catchers (he was still a runaway) could not get him.
He married Anna, and worked at a variety of jobs. Life was better for most blacks in the north, but there was still racism. But when Douglass started reading the Liberator, an abolitionist newspaper published by William Llloyd Garrison, he was moved and thrilled. Freedom for everyone was important to him. Later, he would attend the first Women’s Rights Convention in 1848
He attended abolitionist meetings, and was asked to speak. Nervous at first, he became good at oratory. He was passionate and articulate. Douglass once said in a speech that he came as a “thief,” became in running away he had “stolen” his body from his master. Garrison was impressed, and started to write about Douglass in the Liberator. In 1845 Douglass published his famous autobiography Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass An American Slave. He spent some time in Europe, and friends “bought” him free from his old master. Later, Douglass lived in Rochester, New York, and he published the Anti-slavery newspaper The North Star
The Civil War Years
Douglass called Abraham Lincoln the “white man’s president,” because Lincoln seemed lukewarm—at least at first—to the abolition of slavery. Lincoln personally detested slavery, but hoped that if confined to the old south, and not allowed to grow, it would die out eventually. In fact, Lincoln largely issued the Emancipation Proclamation as a war measure—to weaken the south. Douglass grew to respect Lincoln, and they became friends, if not intimates.
Frederick Douglass actively recruited African American solders for the northern Union cause. His own sons served in the all-black 54th Massachusetts, made famous by the 1993 movie Glory
Frederick Douglass’ Later Years
After the war Douglass continued his campaign for equal rights for all. He became U.S. Marshal of the District of Columbia, and later, was US ambassador to Haiti. But racism still dogged American life. When his wife Anna died in 1882, he seems to have gone into a deep depression. Recovering, he made the controversial move of marrying Helen Pitts, a white woman 20 years his junior. Both black and whites were shocked that Douglass crossed the color line, but he stood firm. Frederick Douglas died in 1895, honored by all for his courage and accomplishments.
Sources:
Frederick Douglass, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave (Norton Critical Edition, 1996)
William S. McFeely, Frederick Douglass (Wm Norton, 1995)
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