Was Frederick Douglass A Success Or Failure

In the late nineteenth century, America faced one of its biggest downfalls as the Confederates separated themselves from the Union. Tension grew within the country and the Civil War erupted. One major reason why this war began was because the Confederates wanted slavery, and the Union did not. The people who opposed slavery were called abolitionists and they were found throughout the United States. One of the most famous abolitionists was Frederick Douglass. Douglass was a politician, lecturer, writer, and also a former slave. Frederick Douglass’ fame began when he was a young adult, and it continued to grow as he fought for his rights and freedom through his speeches and writings.

Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey was born in Tuckahoe, …show more content…
His mother was a slave named Harriet Bailey, and his father was a white man whom he never knew (deGregory). Most of his early years were spent with his grandmother and he rarely saw his mother (“Frederick Douglass” Pan-African). At the age of eight, Douglass went to Baltimore to work as a house servant for the Auld Family (“Meet Frederick…” 337). Sophia Auld taught Douglass the alphabet and how to read and write, which violated a Maryland state law (“Frederick Douglass” Bio; “Meet Frederick…” 337). When Hugh Auld discovered this, he forced his wife to stop the lessons, so Douglass had to secretly continue his education on his own (“Meet Frederick…” 337). As Douglass’ opposition to slavery began to form, he started reading newspapers and searching for political literature (“Frederick Douglass” Bio). When Douglass was sixteen, his master died, so he returned to the plantation as a field hand (“Douglass…” Encyclopedia 642). Later, he hired himself out as a ship caulker in Baltimore under Edward Covey’s supervision (“Douglass…” Encyclopedia 642; deGregory). The vicious beatings he received under Covey led the teen to make multiple attempts to escape from …show more content…
He fought for the enactment of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments to the United States Constitution (“Douglass…” Funk…). Douglass became a Republican Party leader and was also the first African American nominated as vice president in 1872 as Victoria Woodhill’s running mate on Equal Rights (Davis 288; “Frederick Douglass” Bio). Unfortunately, he was nominated without his approval and therefore, never campaigned (“Frederick Douglass” Bio). In 1871, he was Assistant Secretary of the Santo Domingo Commission. He was a marshall in the District of Columbia (1877-1881) and a Recorder of Deeds (1881-1886). His last post was the U.S. Minister and consul General to Haiti (1889-1891) (“Douglass…” Encyclopedia 642). Douglass passed away on February 20, 1895 in his Washington, D.C. home (Davis