Frederick Douglass
Born: February 1817 (exact date uncertain)
Died: February 20, 1895
Frederick Douglass once told a group of African American
students from a school in Talbot County, Maryland, "What was
possible for me is possible for you. Do not think because you are
colored you cannot accomplish anything. Strive earnestly to add
to your knowledge. So long as you remain in ignorance, so long
will you fail to command the respect of your fellow men." Born
Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey to a slave mother and a
white father he never knew, Frederick Douglass grew up to
become a leader in the abolitionist movement1 and the first black
citizen to hold high rank (as U.S. minister and consul general to
Haiti) in the U.S. government.
Douglass's Escape from Slavery
Can you believe that a train conductor held the fate of
Frederick Douglass's entire life in his hands? Douglass described
his daring escape on a train ride from Baltimore to Philadelphia in
his autobiography, Life and Times of Frederick Douglass (1881).
For the journey, Douglass disguised himself as a sailor wearing a
red shirt, a tarpaulin hat, and a black scarf tied loosely around his
neck. He also had to be able to talk like a sailor. "My knowledge
of ships and sailor's talk came much to my assistance, for I knew
a ship from stem to stern, and from keelson to cross-trees, and
could talk sailor like an 'old salt.'" Besides a disguise, what else
do you think Douglass needed?
Along with the other black passengers, Douglass had to show
his "free papers" — a document proving he was free and could
travel — along with his ticket. Because Douglass was a runaway
slave, he didn't have free papers. Instead, he had borrowed what
was called a Seaman's Protection Certificate, which proved that a
sailor was a citizen of the U.S.
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Douglass described his nervousness when the conductor came
by to collect tickets and look over papers: "My whole future
depended upon the decision of this conductor."
This is how the conversation went when the conductor
reached Douglass in the crowded train car.
"I suppose you have your free papers?"
"No sir; I never carry my free papers to sea with me."
"But you have something to show that you are a freeman,
haven't you?"
"Yes, sir, I have a paper with the American eagle on it, and
that will carry me around the world."
A quick glance at the paper satisfied the conductor and he
took Douglass's fare and went on to the other passengers. This
moment was one of the most anxious Douglass had ever
experienced. What do you think would have happened if the
conductor had looked carefully at the paper?
If the conductor had looked closely, he would have noticed
that Douglass did not match the description of the person on the
form and he would have been required to send him back to
slavery in Baltimore. Not only would this have been terrible for
Douglass but also the friend, from whom he borrowed the
Seaman's Certificate, would have been in serious trouble. Later,
when Douglass wrote his first autobiography in 1845, he didn't
include the way in which he escaped because some of the people
who had helped him could have gotten into trouble. By the time
Douglass wrote his revised autobiography in 1881, he included
the real description of his daring escape.
Frederick Douglass — Abolitionist Leader
After Douglass escaped, he wanted to promote freedom for all
slaves. He published a newspaper in Rochester, New York, called
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The North Star. It got its name because slaves escaping at night
followed the North Star in the sky to freedom. Douglass's goals
were to "abolish slavery in all its forms and aspects, promote the
moral and intellectual improvement of the COLORED PEOPLE, and
hasten the day of FREEDOM to the Three Millions of our enslaved
fellow countrymen." How else did Douglass promote freedom?
In addition to publishing The North Star, Douglass lectured on
the subject of freedom. Even though he had made a name for
himself and was a successful leader in the abolitionist movement,
he was still subject to laws keeping blacks separate from whites.
On one occasion, he took the train to speak in a Southern city.
During the journey, he was forced to sit in the section reserved
for "colored" people at the end of the freight car. When his hosts
met him at the other end, they were very apologetic that he had
been humiliated and made to sit in the back of the car. His
response was: "Gentlemen, by ignoble actions I may degrade
myself, but nothing and no man can degrade Frederick
Douglass."
Frederick Douglass is known for his ability to speak and
inspire a crowd, but he wasn't always confident talking in front of
an audience. His very first public speech was in 1841 at the
church of the Rev. Thomas James, who asked Douglass to speak
about his experiences as a slave. At first, Douglass was nervous
and shy, but as he went on, he became more sure of himself and
his speaking skills. After that experience, he went in front of
crowds on numerous occasions to speak out against slavery.
1
Efforts to end slavery
END OF TEXT
"Frederick Douglass." In the public domain.
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