History of Frederick Douglass

¶ … Dr. Martin Luther King's, but Frederick Douglass' influence on the civil rights movement in the United States is just as remarkable. Born a mulatto slave in Maryland, Douglass endured most of the typical trials of slavery during his childhood. Witnessing fellow slaves and family members being beaten by their masters, Douglass resolved to escape and after a few failed attempts, finally managed to secure his freedom with a one-way ticket to New York City in 1838. Over the course of his 77-year life, Frederick Douglass devoted every ounce of his soul to advocating the rights and freedoms of blacks. He successfully fought not just to end slavery but to end segregation, discrimination, and all other forms of racism in America.

When Douglass was about thirteen years old, he first learned how to read and write and once he escaped the bondage of slavery, Douglass honed his literacy skills and became a skilled writer and speaker. Exposed to abolitionist papers like the Liberator, Douglass became increasingly active in black affairs. His finesse as an orator granted him the attention of white abolitionists like William Lloyd Garrison, and Douglass was soon touring the lecture circuits with prominent abolitionist groups. Now living as a freed man, Douglass realized that abolition was only part of the problem; he still experienced extreme prejudice, even without physical shackles.

His early exposure to the abolition movement was through white leaders like Garrison, who ironically prevented freed blacks like Douglass from speaking on their own political objectives. After publishing his poignant autobiography, Frederick Douglass went to England and Ireland to learn from the already established antislavery movement there. A few English friends bought Douglass his official freedom, and hence he would embark on a more active career as abolitionist, independent of Garrison.

Before, during, and after the Civil War, Douglass fought for blacks' rights and freedoms, including suffrage. He even allied himself with feminists and adopted the women's suffrage movement as part of his political agenda. After supporting Lincoln's campaign for presidency, Douglass became a friend and advisor to the president. Douglass encouraged Lincoln to take a more aggressive stance on the issue of slavery during the Civil War.