Frederick Douglass was born to a slave mother and a white father who he did not know. He was born in Tuckahoe, Maryland and raised by a grandmother until he was ready to work in the plantation. In the life and times of Frederick Douglass, his birth, childhood, and contribution to American history as an abolitionist has been discussed as well as his influence on critical events. The discussion on his life as a slave, his escape from slavery and experience as a free man and how he became a leader in the abolitionist movement marking the significant events that propelled him offer a detailed account of his life and times as included in the American history.
The journey of Frederick Douglass from slavery shows determination, courage, and bravely to escape horrific treatment that slaves were subjected to by their masters. Douglass ability to learn, plan, and implement his thoughts enabled him to escape from slavery at a time when slaves were condemned to be slaves for life. Significant people influenced his escape from slavery, diverse experiences and incidents, as well as information and insights from various books which renewed his broken state preparing him for the brave exit and completion of his calling as a free man. The events of his childhood, teenagerhood and as a young adult shaped his desire for freedom and his creativity enabled him to overcome all the obstacles and challenges that came his way.
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In his early life, Douglass witnessed many horrific treatments of slaves and especially brutal treatment to members of his family. His mother died mysteriously, having seen him four or five times in his life. As a significant person in his lie, the loss of his mother and the separation at an early age and the lack of knowledge led him to yearn for freedom from an early age. When at the age of seven, Douglass was sent to Baltimore to work for Hugh Auld who was a carpenter, his wife had a significant influence on him teaching him how to read and write. According to Douglas the new life in the city and the kindness of is new master's wife, Sophia Auld played a significant role in shaping his desire and successful escape from slavery. At fifteen years of age, he was sent back to the plantation to work for Thomas Auld whose cruelty led Douglass' renewed desire for escape. He was subjected to hunger and was frequently hired out to a cruel master who made his life miserable. Douglass experiences in Baltimore, where he met and fell in love with Anna Murray, who was a free black woman, also strengthened Douglass belief in the possibility of acquiring his freedom.
Slavery availed multiple experiences to Douglass, which he used to enable him to survive and overcome the oppression. For example, his interaction with Edward Covey, a Methodist with a reputation for taming unruly slaves drove him to his first attempt to run away. He was beaten, and his attempt to run were fruitless as he was recaptured. The confrontation with Covey by engaging him in a fist fight and threatening to kill him strengthened his defiance and increased his ability to plan for his final escape. His experiences with the assembled group in their attempt to escape using a canoe and the short jail term which was inconclusive due to lack of evidence of planning to escape were meaningful and heightened his desire for a successful escape.
The opportunity to escape during the Easter holidays in 1835 created a memorable incident where doulas and his team were betrayed, forcing them to destroy the forged travel documents through eating or burning to hide evidence. The incident resulted in a jail term, and his return to the plantation was with lessons and realizations on areas to improve if he was to escape successfully. His reputation as a trouble maker led him to be sent to the shipyards where he thrived and attained the ability to earn his own money. The apprenticeship and lessons were later essential in his escape allowing him free movement, and he then used the extensive knowledge of ship to make it to freedom.
Information acquired from books and readings primarily influenced Douglass escape to freedom. Introduced to reading at the age of twelve by his master's wife, Sophia Auld, he became undaunted even after admonitions and honed his reading skills by reading anything he could get his hands-on including newspapers, pamphlets, novels, and textbooks. During the time, he was deeply influenced in his views on freedom and human rights by a collection named The Columbian Orator which contained speeches emphasizing on liberty, democracy, and courage according to Douglass, the collection clarified and defined his position on slavery. His ability to read, understand, synthesize and allow the information gained to transform his mind and lead him to action significantly contributed his rise over freedom and functioning as a statesman to fight for the rights of his fellow men.
The above factors significant people, experiences, incidents, and books impacted him as an individual to fight for his freedom. The elements affected his life as reflected by his thoughts and beliefs. He is seen as a man with a desire to read, attain knowledge, and change the landscape of America in politics, education, issues of human rights and freedom. His encounters transformed him as an individual to acquire independence and compelled him to fight for the privilege of others as a statesman.
Douglass held a significant role in the abolitionist movement in the US and Abroad after his escape from slavery. Douglass believed that he could not enjoy freedom when thousands of his people were scattered and suffering in the bondage of slavery. Douglass joined several organizations and attended abolitionist meetings. He became an anti-slavery lecturer and spoke eloquently in gathering about his experiences and rough life as a slave. He was also against segregation in transportation and participated in movements that support the end of slavery and segregation.
On his introduction to the world of abolitionist, Frederick Douglass was introduced to the abolitionist movement after his subscription to William Lloyd Garrison's weekly journal The Liberator. Douglas was much inspired by William Lloyd sentiments on slavery and his value of human freedom. He attended his meeting organized by the anti-slavery society where he encouraged Douglass to become an anti-slavery lecturer. William invited Douglass to a convention held by the Massachusetts Antislavery Society and his speeches impressed the prominent abolitionist leaders, which led to him to be chosen as the lead lecturer and delivered many anti-slavery speeches.
As an abolitionist, Douglass, played a crucial role in the abolition of slavery. After joining the anti-slavery society, he functioned as an agent with the task of traveling and delivering speeches, distribution of anti-slavery pamphlets, and mobilization of people to subscribe to the liberator. Douglass contributions include the lectures he gave against slavery as well as his publication on his life as a slave and his escape. His regularly speaking against slavery strengthened the abolitionist mission to enhance social reforms by upsetting the government efforts to protect the institution of slavery.
During his campaigns on abolition and as an agent of delivering speeches, he faced a situation becoming a fugitive slave. Afraid for his safety, he was fled to the United Kingdom and got an opportunity to tour Ireland, Scotland, and wales where he gave speeches and networked with others. He acquired many supporters with Ellen Richardson and Henry Richardson as the lead supporters who mobilized others to raise funds and purchase his freedom which protected him from the fugitive slave laws of 1793 and 1850. He supported the purchase of freedom and was one of the many supporters of the underground railway which helped slaves to escape and even harbored slaves even in his house.
Douglass views on the constitution differed with those of his mentor William Lloyd Garrison. He had earlier agreed with his views on the constitution being pro-slavery and work with the liberator using the law. Douglass believed that the constitution was a tool that could and should be used as a tool in fighting against slavery. Various publications such as the unconstitutionality of slavery changed Douglass mind about the constitution, which led to the division of the abolitionist movement. Douglass is known for his efforts to end slavery through his anti-slavery speeches, supported the civil war and worked with the president of the day Abraham Lincoln as his consultant on the involvement of blacks. He convinced the president that black slaves were ready to fight and join the Union forces. Douglass also assured the president that the goal of the war should be the abolition of slavery. On agreement, Douglass mobilized African Americans to join the Union army and even signed up his sons who joined the battled and fought at Fort Wagner in South Carolina in 1863. At the end of the war, many African American men had enlisted in the war with Douglass as the recruiter in various regions.
Eric Foner interview in the NPR program describes slavery and slave movement through escape and offers a discussion and point of comparison due to the various similarities with Douglass experiences. Foner, in the interview, explains the underground railway road explaining the movement of slaves in their escape from slavery in the south. Foner's description of the experiences of slaves is similar to Douglass experiences in different ways. In his book, Gateway to Freedom: The Hidden History of the Underground Railroad, Foner focuses on New York City as the station where many slaves emerged after their escape. The claim is similar to Douglass escape where he was funded by Anna Murray to travel to New York City for his freedom.
According to Foner, slaves escaped due to various reasons, ill-treatment by their masters, cruelty by the white people. Foner describes the factors that triggered escape from slavery as mainly the desire for better life without hunger, fear, violence, health issues, lack of medical attention and frequent deaths in the hands of their masters. Foner also associated the increased escapes to availability of transport mode and the cooperation among the black people in their goal to make America better. Slaves used all modes of transport such as traveling on foot and hiding in the woods, horse carts and carriages taken from masters, canoes, boats going through the Chesapeake Bay with the help of the black crew to escape. Others were lucky to travel using the train, which was faster and riskier means of escape to freedom. Foner also credits the slaves for their creativity and sacrifice to plan and implement escape plans as individuals, teams, or families.
The information on the number of slaves who escaped through the New York city, Foner alludes that more than 100, 00 slaves escaped from their masters in the 1800s and used the underground railway road until the civil war. He claims possession of documents indicating the numbers of slaves who escaped, their origin, their owners, means of escape and who helped them survive and facilitated their movement to the North. According to Foner, New York was a central station situated along the railroad northeast and accommodated travelers from upper south who came through Philadelphia into New York as well as those traveling to New England and Canada.
Foner's opinion on the importance of the fugitive slave act was also discussed in the interview and revealed his views. The Fugitive Act was implemented by the government to frustrate the effort of slaves acquiring freedom and to prevent a total slave abolition movement. The act required slaves captured during an escape to be returned to their master and people assisting slaves to escape in the underground railway road and other channels to be fined. Foner claims the act was essential to provide a balance between the white and lacks. He claims that the practice ensured that the system was interracial and that both white and black people participated equally in making the country better.
Gateway to Freedom: The Hidden History of the Underground Railroad , Foner's new book draws its information from the record of fugitive slaves written by Sydney Howard Gay. A graduate student at Columbia University discovered history. Gay, the writer, is described as an Underground Railroad operative who participated in the movement until the rise of the Civil War. Gay was the editor of the weekly newspaper the National Anti-Slavery Standard. Eric Foner considers the document special due to its specification on the identities of escaped slaves, their origin, owners. Means of escape and their helpers in their movement to freedom. The document, therefore, offers exclusive information on slave movement and the progress towards slavery abolition.
