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Name __________________________________________ Date ________________________
Frederick Douglass
Born into slavery, Frederick Douglass escaped when he was about twenty years old.
Douglass wrote a famous autobiography describing the horrors of slavery and the
joys of liberty. He worked on the Underground Railroad and became a great and
famous public speaker. Douglass argued passionately all his life for the abolition of
slavery. He also took up the cause of women’s rights.
Early Life
Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey was born about 1817 in Maryland. He was
never sure of the date of his own birth. “Genealogical trees did not flourish among
slaves,” he dryly commented in his autobiography. “I never met with a slave in that
part of the country who could tell me with any certainty how old he was. Few at that
time knew anything of the months of the year or of the days of the month.”
Frederick’s mother was a slave named Harriet Bailey. He never knew who his father
was. Most people believed that Harriet Bailey’s white owner was Frederick’s father.
When a young and strong female slave bore a child, it was often taken away from
her so that she could return to work and give her full energy to her chores. Another
black woman on the plantation, one too old to do much heavy work, would raise and
care for the baby. Frederick was given to his grandmother, Betsy Bailey. He only saw
his mother a few times during his childhood. She died when he was seven.
Frederick was very happy living with his grandmother, but was taken away from her
as soon as he was old enough to work. He was only seven when his master sent him
to Baltimore to live with and work for a family named Auld. Sophia Auld was kind
to the child. She taught him to read. She was proud of his progress and mentioned
it to her husband, who scolded her for what she had done. “If he learns to read the
Bible it will forever unfit him to be a slave,” Auld blustered. “He should know
nothing but the will of his master, and learn to obey it.”
The reading lessons ceased. However, Frederick continued to practice reading and
writing in secret. As he grew older, he would teach other slaves to read and write.
Name __________________________________________ Date ________________________
At Covey’s Farm
Frederick first learned of a movement to abolish slavery when he read about
Congressman John Quincy Adams in a newspaper. Adams had often presented antislavery bills in Congress. Frederick could hardly believe that there were white
people who urged that slavery be abolished. He soon determined to run away and
gain his freedom.
During the 1830s, Frederick worked for Hugh Auld’s brother, Thomas. He intended
to make the rebellious young man accept slavery as his lot in life. He sent him to live
with and work for a man named Edward Covey. Local blacks greatly feared and
hated Covey. He was known to be merciless and cruel toward slaves. Frederick
summed up his experience at Covey’s farm as follows:
I was made to drink the bitterest dregs of slavery . . . during the first six months of my
stay with this man Covey. We were worked all weathers. It was never too hot, or too
cold; it could never rain, blow, snow, or hail too hard for us to work in the field. Work,
work, work, was scarcely more the order of the day than of the night. The longest days
were too short for him, and the shortest nights were too long for him. . . . Mr. Covey
succeeded in breaking me—in body, soul, and spirit. My natural elasticity was
crushed; my intellect languished; the disposition to read departed, the cheerful spark
that lingered about my eye died out; the dark night of slavery closed in upon me, and
behold a man transformed to a brute!
One day, after one of many beatings, Frederick had had enough. He fought back.
Covey was astonished and frightened at being struck by a slave. Frederick remained
at Covey’s farm for another six months. Covey never punished him again.
Escape from Slavery
After his time at Covey’s farm, Frederick decided to lose no more time before he ran
away. A first attempted escape failed. Frederick did not give up. He borrowed
identification papers from a free black sailor and boldly and openly boarded a train
for New York. He dressed like a sailor for the journey, in a red shirt, with a kerchief
knotted loosely around his neck. “My knowledge of ships and sailor’s talk came much
to my assistance,” he wrote later. “I knew a ship from stem to stern, and from
keelson to cross-trees, and could talk sailor like an ‘old salt.’ ” Thus disguised, he
hoped to fool any suspicious officials.
When the train conductor came by to collect tickets and check the black passengers’
identification papers, Frederick knew that his entire plan might fail. The conductor
might notice that the passenger before him did not match the description given on
the papers. But Frederick was lucky. The conductor gave the papers only a quick
glance and was satisfied. When the train arrived at the last station, Frederick was
free. He never again worked as a slave. He wrote later of his first feelings at being
a free man:
Name __________________________________________ Date ________________________
I found employment, the third day after my arrival, in stowing a sloop with a load of
oil. It was new, dirty, and hard work for me, but I went at it with a glad heart and a
willing hand. I was now my own master. It was a happy moment, the rapture of
which can be understood only by those who have been slaves. It was the first work,
the reward of which was to be entirely my own. There was no Master Hugh standing
ready, the moment I earned the money, to rob me of it. I worked that day with a
pleasure I had never before experienced. I was at work for myself and newly-married
wife. It was to me the starting point of a new existence.
—Frederick Douglass, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, 1845
It was at this time that Frederick abandoned the name Bailey. A change of name
would help to protect him from being identified and captured as a fugitive. First, he
called himself Johnson; later, he changed his name to Douglass.
Frederick Douglass—Abolitionist Leader
In 1841, Douglass met William Lloyd Garrison. Both men gave speeches at a
meeting of the Massachusetts anti-slavery Society. Garrison said many nice things
about Douglass, encouraging the
society to hire him full-time as a
traveling speaker. Shy on the podium
at first, Douglass eventually became
famous for his abilities as an orator.
From that time on, Douglass and
Garrison were firm friends and allies.
They toured England and Ireland
together in 1845, speaking out
against slavery. During the tour,
Douglass raised the money to buy his
freedom. He was no longer a fugitive
slave; he was a free man.
In 1847, Douglass began publishing
his own anti-slavery paper, the North
Star. Its name came from the North
Star in the sky, which guided many
runaway slaves to freedom. In 1851,
Douglass and abolitionist Gerrit
Smith decided to merge their
newspapers. The result was Frederick
Douglass’ Paper.
Frederick Douglass was just one of many great
male reformers who proved to be so essential
to our nation’s progress.
Name __________________________________________ Date ________________________
Douglass also wrote about slavery. He wrote his autobiography. He described his
own firsthand experiences of both good and bad masters. He pointed out that even
good and kind masters were made brutal by the system of slavery. Douglass
published the first version of his story in 1845. It was called Narrative of the Life of
Frederick Douglass, An American Slave. He would publish two more
autobiographies over the years. My Bondage and My Freedom came out in 1855. The
Life and Times of Frederick Douglass appeared in 1881. Each time he published his
work, Douglass described more specific details of his life. He had originally left out
certain details to protect people who had helped him escape or who had known him
when he was a fugitive.
Douglass also spoke in favor of women’s rights. He worked alongside Elizabeth Cady
Stanton, Lucretia Mott, Sojourner Truth, and Susan B. Anthony. Douglass attended
the historic 1848 Convention at Seneca Falls, New York. He signed the Declaration
of Sentiments, which urged full citizenship and equal rights for women.
Douglass’s Role in the Civil War
Just before the Civil War broke out, abolitionist John Brown and his followers raided
the town of Harpers Ferry, Virginia (present-day West Virginia). You will read all
about John Brown in Chapter 14. African Americans and abolitionists thought he
was a hero. Slave owners and southern whites thought he was a terrorist. Since he
had taken up arms against the U.S., he was executed as a traitor.
Douglass and Brown were well acquainted. Both had helped to run the Underground
Railroad. They had met and corresponded. Many people believed that Douglass had
helped to organize the raid on Harpers Ferry. For his own safety, Douglass left the
United States until 1860. He returned when the danger of arrest was over.
During the Civil War, Douglass advised President Abraham Lincoln. He helped to
convince the president that slaves should serve in the Union forces. Douglass also
urged abolition on the President. Lincoln had to consider carefully. His main goal in
the war was to reunite the nation, but he was against slavery at heart. He agreed
with Douglass that abolishing slavery should be a goal of the war. Before the Civil
War ended, Lincoln was even urging Douglass to help organize a scheme to help
slaves escape to the north. Lincoln made this plan only in case the North did not win.
On January 1, 1863, Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation clearly stated that
Confederate slaves were now free and could serve in the Union army. Douglass
worked all over the country to recruit African Americans into the army. When black
soldiers were paid less than whites, or their pay was withheld, Douglass spoke for
them. He helped to ensure that they received fair wages.
Name __________________________________________ Date ________________________
After the War
Douglass lived to see a northern victory and the total abolition of slavery. He
continued to write and to publish newspapers. A new venture, the weekly New
Natural Era, lasted from 1870 to 1874. Douglass was now a highly respected and
prominent citizen. U.S. presidents offered him important government jobs. In 1872,
the short-lived Equal Rights Party nominated Douglass for vice-president of the U.S.
From 1889 to 1891, he served his country as minister to Haiti.
Douglass died suddenly of a heart attack in 1895. He was one of the bravest and
most outspoken of all Americans. All his adult life, Frederick Douglass had fought
for equal rights for all Americans.
1. Which quote from the passage is an example of slave owners’ efforts to keep
their slaves ignorant?
a.
b.
c.
d.
“It was to me the starting point of a new existence.”
“He should know nothing but the will of his master, and learn to obey it.”
“I was now my own master.”
“I was made to drink the bitterest dregs of slavery.”
2. With which statement would the author disagree?
a. Frederick Douglass used his intellect to gain his freedom.
b. Frederick Douglass became a successful orator.
c. The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave had no
lasting effects on the nation or its history.
d. The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave
presented a clear picture of life as a freed slave.
3. Which of the following statements is a fact presented by the author?
a. Babies born to slaves were often taken from their mothers at an early age.
b. Older slave women liked taking care of the babies more than the younger
slave women.
c. Babies born to slaves remained by their mothers’ sides until the age of five.
d. Many women would rather work in the fields and earn some money than
stay home and tend to their children.
Name __________________________________________ Date ________________________
4. Lincoln’s main goal in the Civil War was to
a.
b.
c.
d.
abolish slavery.
secure more rights for women and children.
organize a formidable military.
reunite the nation.
5. Which statement is the most accurate with regard to Frederick Douglass’s
life’s work?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Douglass worked only to free the slaves.
Douglass worked to ensure equal rights for all Americans.
Douglass’s main goal in his work centered around women’s rights.
Douglass’s efforts to ensure equal treatment of soldiers in the war became
his greatest passion.
6. Read the following quote from the passage and explain what it tells you about
the way slaves were treated:
“Genealogical trees did not flourish among slaves,” he dryly commented in his
autobiography. “I never met with a slave in that part of the country who could
tell me with any certainty how old he was.”
Name __________________________________________ Date ________________________
7. Explain the role that Douglass played in the Civil War. What were his
contributions to the war effort?
8. Frederick Douglass was an amazing and inspiring man. Describe the qualities
that made him an admirable and well-respected part of history.
Name __________________________________________ Date ________________________
ANSWER KEY
Name __________________________________________ Date ________________________
After the War
Douglass lived to see a northern victory and the total abolition of slavery. He
continued to write and to publish newspapers. A new venture, the weekly New
Natural Era, lasted from 1870 to 1874. Douglass was now a highly respected and
prominent citizen. U.S. presidents offered him important government jobs. In 1872,
the short-lived Equal Rights Party nominated Douglass for vice-president of the U.S.
From 1889 to 1891, he served his country as minister to Haiti.
Douglass died suddenly of a heart attack in 1895. He was one of the bravest and
most outspoken of all Americans. All his adult life, Frederick Douglass had fought
for equal rights for all Americans.
1. Which quote from the passage is an example of slave owners’ efforts to keep
1. Which
quoteignorant?
from the passage is an example of slave owners’ efforts to keep
their slaves
their slaves ignorant?
a. “It was to me the starting point of a new existence.”
a.
to meknow
the starting
point
a new
b. “It
“Hewas
should
nothing
butofthe
willexistence.”
of his master, and learn to
b. “He
obeyshould
it.” know nothing but the will of his master, and learn to obey it.”
c.
“I
was
c. “I was now
now my
my own
own master.”
master.”
d.
“I
was
made
to
drink
d. “I was made to drink the
the bitterest
bitterest dregs
dregs of
of slavery.”
slavery.”
2.
2. With
With which
which statement
statement would
would the
the author
author disagree?
disagree?
a.
a.
b.
b.
c.
c.
Frederick
Frederick Douglass
Douglass used
used his
his intellect
intellect to
to gain
gain his
his freedom.
freedom.
Frederick
Douglass
became
a
successful
orator.
Frederick Douglass became a successful orator.
The
thethe
Life
of Frederick
Douglass,
An American
Slave had
no
The Narrative
Narrativeofof
Life
of Frederick
Douglass,
An American
Slave
lasting
on effects
the nation
or its
history.
had noeffects
lasting
on the
nation
or its history.
d.
d. The
The Narrative
Narrative of
of the
the Life
Life of
of Frederick
Frederick Douglass,
Douglass, An
An American
American Slave
Slave
presented
presented a
a clear
clear picture
picture of
of life
life as
as a
a freed
freed slave.
slave.
3.
3. Which
Which of
of the
the following
following statements
statements is
is a
a fact
fact presented
presented by
by the
the author?
author?
a.
a.
b.
b.
c.
d.
c.
d.
Babies
were
often
taken
fromfrom
theirtheir
mothers
at an at
early
Babiesborn
borntotoslaves
slaves
were
often
taken
mothers
anage.
Older
early slave
age. women liked taking care of the babies more than the younger
slave
Olderwomen.
slave women liked taking care of the babies more than the younger
Babies
born to slaves remained by their mothers’ sides until the age of five.
slave women.
Many
women
workby
intheir
the fields
and sides
earn until
some the
money
Babies born towould
slavesrather
remained
mothers’
age than
of five.
stay
home
and
tend
to
their
children.
Many women would rather work in the fields and earn some money than
stay home and tend to their children.
ANSWER KEY
Name __________________________________________ Date ________________________
4.
4. Lincoln’s
Lincoln’s main
main goal
goal in
in the
the Civil
Civil War
War was
was to
to
a.
a. abolish
abolish slavery.
slavery.
b.
secure
b. secure more
more rights
rights for
for women
women and
and children.
children.
c.
organize
a
formidable
military.
c. organize a formidable military.
d.
d. reunite
reunitethe
thenation.
nation.
5.
5. Which
Which statement
statement is
is the
the most
most accurate
accurate with
with regard
regard to
to Frederick
Frederick Douglass’s
Douglass’s
life’s
work?
life’s work?
a.
a. Douglass
Douglass worked
worked only
only to
to free
free the
the slaves.
slaves.
b.
Douglass
worked
to
ensure
equal
rights
for all
Americans.
b. Douglass worked to ensure equal
rights
for
all Americans.
c.
Douglass’s
main
goal
in
his
work
centered
around
c. Douglass’s main goal in his work centered around women’s
women’s rights.
rights.
d.
Douglass’s
efforts
to
ensure
equal
treatment
of
soldiers
in
the
d. Douglass’s efforts to ensure equal treatment of soldiers in the war
war became
became
his
greatest
passion.
his greatest passion.
6.
6. Read
Read the
the following
following quote
quote from
from the
the passage
passage and
and explain
explain what
what it
it tells
tells you
you about
about
the
way
slaves
were
treated:
the way slaves were treated:
“Genealogical
“Genealogical trees
trees did
did not
not flourish
flourish among
among slaves,”
slaves,” he
he dryly
dryly commented
commented in
in his
his
autobiography.
“I
never
met
with
a
slave
in
that
part
of
the
country
who
autobiography. “I never met with a slave in that part of the country who could
could
tell
tell me
me with
with any
any certainty
certainty how
how old
old he
he was.”
was.”
Students should glean from this quotation that slaves were treated like
animals. There was no regard for their value as people, their heritage, or
their families. Keeping the slaves ignorant about their past, their ages, and
their relatives kept them in a subordinate position that made them more
manageable from an owner’s standpoint.
8
ANSWER KEY
Name __________________________________________ Date ________________________
7.
7. Explain
Explain the
the role
role that
that Douglass
Douglass played
played in
in the
the Civil
Civil War.
War. What
What were
were his
his
contributions
contributions to
to the
the war
war effort?
effort?
Look for responses in which students explain how Douglass worked, as
always, to preserve human rights. Initially, he worked to recruit black
soldiers into the war effort. Later, he strove to ensure equality in conditions
and pay for all soldiers, black and white.
8. Frederick Douglass was an amazing and inspiring man. Describe the qualities
that made him an admirable and well-respected part of history.
Students need to summarize the inspiring accomplishments of this great man.
They should mention his own personal struggles and triumphs as he
managed to extricate himself from slavery. They could mention his
8. Frederick Douglass was an amazing and inspiring man. Describe the qualities
determination to secure an education and his tireless efforts to maintain the
that made him an admirable and well-respected part of history.
rights of women and men of all races.