Frederick Douglass: Abolitionist Leader

Abolitionist leader Frederick Douglass (1818-95) was born into slavery in Talbot County, Maryland, around 1818. Although the exact year and date of Douglass's birth are unknown, Douglass chose to celebrate it on February 14th. Douglass was raised by his grandmother(Betty Bailey). At a young age, Douglass was sent to work a Baltimore plantation owned by Hugh Auld, where he would learn the skills of reading and writing. Little did he know, these skills would eventually vault him to a national celebrity.
Born a slave, Douglass escaped at age 20 and went on to become a world-renowned anti-slavery activist. Douglass created two significant documents. He published a newspaper in Rochester, New York, called The North Star, and also published several autobiographies that motivated slaves to push for their freedom. Douglass published several documents in hopes of freeing the enslaved. This was a huge contribution in Douglass's involvement in reform. …show more content…
Douglass's goals were to "abolish slavery in all its forms and aspects, promote the moral and intellectual improvement of the colored people, and hasten the day of freedom to the free millions of the enslaved. Douglass's efforts to end slavery would be categorized as more of an individual moral reform. Frederick Douglass is known for his ability to speak and inspire a crowd, but he wasn't always confident talking in front of an audience. His very first public speech was in 1841 at the church of the Rev. Thomas James, who asked Douglass to speak about his experiences as a slave. At first, Douglass was nervous and shy, but as he went on, he became more sure of himself and his speaking skills. After that experience, he went in front of crowds on numerous occasions to speak out against slavery. Douglass's speeches provided numerous solutions to abolish