Black History Month ::: Frederick Douglass

February 16, 1874 – Frederick Douglass elected president of Freedman’s Bank and Trust.

Frederick Douglass an American social reformer, abolitionist, orator, writer and statesman. Douglass was also an escaped slave from Maryland as well as a national leader of the abolitionist movement in Massachusetts and New York. His writings and speeches gave fear to slaveholders argument that slaves lacked intellectual capacity to function as independent American citizens.

As a requirement in my college History class we read The Narrative of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave Douglass would battle against slavery as well as women's suffrage. He believed that all people were equal to one another and it not matter upon color of skin, male or female, Native American or immigrant.

Who was Frederick Douglas::

Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey was born into slavery. He resided on the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake Bay in Talbot County , Maryland on a large plantation. No one is quite sure of his birthdate or of his father. While, we know Frederick Douglass was of mixed race which may have been Native American and African. In addition, Frederick would choose his surname Douglass after he escaped to freedom.

Did you know these facts about Frederick Douglass

• The wife of a slave owner taught him his alphabet around the age of 12. After this time he was clever in learning at one time trading pieces of bread to kids that would help him
• Douglas would teach other slaves to read. He would use the bibles new testament to do such learning
• Fredericks first wife was a free woman when they met and helped Douglas to escape. 
• He would often have his picture taken thinking of it as a "democratic" tool of sorts
• he gained acceptance from President Lincoln to allow black men to join the Union army
• Later in life, Douglass became more of a statesman, serving in highly appointed federal positions, including U.S. Marshal for D.C., Recorder of Deeds for D.C., and Minister Resident and Consul General to Haiti. Rutherford B. Hayes was the first to appoint Douglass to a position in 1877, and Presidents Garfield, Arthur, Cleveland, and Benjamin Harrison each sought his counsel in various positions as well.
• Remarried after his first wife passed away. Not only was his first wife white but also 20 years younger than him
• The book that Frederick Douglas wrote can be found for free online here

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