Who Is Frederick Douglass An Abolitionist

Frederick Douglass was an African American born into slavery in 1818 as Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey, in Talbot county, Maryland. Frederick changed his name to Frederick Douglass in 1826 and escaped to freedom in the north in 1838 where he married Ann Murray, a free Baltimore woman. In 1841 Douglass spoke at his first abolitionist movement. He published his first novel in 1845, The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. Over the years from 1846 to 1848 he attended many rights movements and published a second novel, My Bondage and My Freedom, and helped slaves escape to the underground railroad. Douglass continued speaking at abolitionists movements, and in 1861 met with president Lincoln to work on improving treatment of African …show more content…
Many efforts were made by African Americans in attempt to escape slavery, some successful and some not. Douglass becomes a free man in September of 1838 and reaches New Bedford, Massachusetts, where he describes life as being much different from that in the south. He points out that the people of the laboring class enjoyed a much better life style than slave owners in the south (“1838..”). By describing the life of laboring people in New Bedford Douglass is making a point to tell what he feels about slavery in the south. Southern slave owners think that they can only have a nice lifestyle by the slaves doing all the work, Douglass makes a point to show that isn’t true by telling that “laboring people in the north enjoy a better lifestyle than slave owners in the south.” (Douglass). However, Douglass describes his thoughts of the north before reaching it by saying, “I had somehow imbibed the opinion that, in the absence of slaves, there could be no wealth, and very little refinement.” …show more content…
It wasn’t until he was traded to Mr. Covey that Douglass felt the harsh reality of slave life. Douglass tells stories of being beaten quite often and how demanding and horrible his master was. After refusing to be beaten any longer Mr. Covey and Douglass fight out their battle, this was a turning point in his career as a slave. Douglass says “It rekindled the few expiring embers of freedom, and revived within me a sense of my own manhood.” (Douglass). Perhaps this is what Douglass needed to become free, remembrance of his inner-self and confidence. Douglass remained a slave many years after, but vowed to never be whipped again, once saying “… the white man who expected to succeed in whipping, must also succeed in killing me.” (Douglass). Near the end of the book he reaches the part of his life he “planned for”, he is now a free man. Although a free man he still feels unsafe and he knows not who to trust, where to go, or what to do. Douglass eventually finds nice people to help him out in New Bedford, where he settles down as his novel