Frederick Douglas became the most influential intellectual of the nineteenth century. He helped establish a place for the modern Civil Rights movement. He changed the life for African American men, women and children in the United States. “He was an abolitionist, human rights and women 's rights activist, orator, author, journalist, publisher, and social reformer”(Trotman 2). His life was devoted to gaining equality for all people, both women and men. We could have never made it this far as a nation without the impact of Frederick Douglass.
Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey, better known as Frederick Douglass, was born in 1818 in Talbot County, Maryland. The exact date of when he was born is unknown, however …show more content…
“At the urging of William Lloyd Garrison, Douglass published and wrote and his first book, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, in 1845” (Legacy and Significance of Frederick Douglass). The book was a success in the United States and was it was eventually translated into a few European languages. The book influenced many African Americans that were in the tough situations Douglass had been in. It gave them he courage they needed to keep fighting. Despite the fact that the book collected Douglass numerous fans, a few doubted his intelligence. He would later come out with two other autobiographies, My Bondage and My Freedom, which came out in 1855, and Life and Times of Frederick Douglass, which he revised in 1892. After his books were published, Douglass’ words were heard across the ocean. He was known all across the world, which was good and bad, and he had support all over the world. Douglass left for Ireland in August 16, 1845, to dodge being recaptured. He stayed in Ireland and Britain for a long time, talking to huge crowds about the disasters of slavery. "During this time, Douglass’ British supporters gathered funds to purchase his legal freedom"(Douglass History). Douglass came back to the United States in 1847 as a free …show more content…
Douglass went into depression for a short time until he met Helen Pitts, who brought him back to life. They married soon after in 1884. Helen was a white activist in women’s rights and abolition. Although they were married for 11 years, their marriage wasn 't really supported. In Douglass’ final years, he traveled to many places, like Europe and Africa, to make many activist speeches. His last day was a great day, as he “attended a meeting of the National Council of Women in Washington and received a standing ovation” (Bernier 609). On February 20, 1895, Frederick suffered and died from a massive heart attack after he returned home to his