Frederick Douglass

Frederick Douglass (1818-1895) has been a source of inspiration and hope for millions.

Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey was born into slavery on the Eastern Shore of Maryland in February 1818.

On September 3, 1838, he disguised himself as a sailor and boarded a northbound train, using money from Anna to pay for his ticket.

In 1845, he published his first autobiography, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, to lay those doubts to rest.

The North Star. In 1855, he published his second autobiography, My Bondage and My Freedom, which expanded on his first autobiography and challenged racial segregation in the North.

In 1861, the nation erupted into civil war over the issue of slavery.

In 1872, the Douglass moved to Washington, D.C. There were multiple reasons for their move: Douglass had been traveling frequently to the area ever since the Civil War, all three of their sons already lived in the federal district, and the old family home in Rochester had burned down.

In 1881, Douglass published his third autobiography, Life and Times of Frederick Douglass, which took a long view of his life’s work, the nation’s progress, and the work left to do.

Tragedy struck Douglass’s life in 1882 when Anna died from a stroke. He remarried in 1884 to Helen Pitts, an activist and the daughter of former abolitionists.

On February 20, 1895, Douglass attended a meeting for the National Council of Women.