Frederick Douglass

Frederick Douglass, named Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey at birth, was born a slave in Talbot County, Maryland in 1818. Douglass secretly taught himself how to read and write after his master’s wife taught him the alphabet at age 12. He later taught other slaves to read, using the New Testament. Douglass made multiple attempts to escape from his slavemasters, finally succeeding in 1838. He married Anna Murray, a free black woman, and the couple adopted Douglass as their married name. Douglass started giving anti-slavery lectures, becoming a major figure in the abolitionist movement. He wrote several autobiographies, including the influential Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave. After the Civil War, Douglass remained active in advocating for equal treatment of all individuals.