Frederick Douglass :: biographies bio biography

Frederick Douglass (1817-1895) Frederick Douglass was born to a slave as well as a white slave owner. Aside from being born a slave, Frederick Douglass was able to teach himself how to read and write. Douglass involved himself in the improvement of the lives of other black men. Douglass was able to organize a small revolt against his owner and survived the revolt. Frederick Douglass’s book was published in 1845 and was named Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. Douglass’ narrative is a recount of the tough life on the plantations before his escape to New York. Douglas describes in this narrative the senseless acts of cruelty on the part of the masters as well as the debased lives of the slaves. Frederick Douglass greatly contributed to the emancipation cause. Among Douglass’ several contributions was the recruitment of Negro volunteers during the Civil War period. Frederick Douglass also played a key role in safeguarding and preserving the right of his fellow freed men. Douglass later worked as a secretary of the Santo Domingo Commission, Recorder of Deeds in the District of Columbia and United States Minister to Haiti Frederick Douglas's Escape to Freedom Although Frederick Douglass did not go into great detail about his escape from his master to freedom in New York, he does describe the trying times he encountered once arriving in the free state of New York. The following excerpt is from Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. "I have been frequently asked how I felt when I found myself in a free State. I have never been able to answer the question with any satisfaction to myself. It was a moment of the highest excitement I ever experienced†¦. In writing to a dear friend, immediately after my arrival in New York, I said I felt like one who had escaped a den of hungry lions. This state of mind, however, very soon subsided; and I was again seized with a feeling of loneliness.