| In a June 28, 1879 issue of the Rochester Democrat | | | | literature. Douglass' friends and mentors fearing that |
| and Chronicle Frederick Douglass who had risen from | | | | the publicity would draw the attention of his ex-owner |
| slavery to be one of the foremost abolitionist leaders | | | | who might try to get his "property" back, encouraged |
| and campaigners who fought to end slavery within the | | | | him to tour Ireland, as many other former slaves had |
| United States in the decades prior to the Civil War | | | | done. Douglass then set sail on the Cambria for |
| was described as " among the greatest men, not only | | | | Liverpool on August 16, 1845, and arrived in Ireland as |
| of this city, but of the nation as well - great in gifts, | | | | the Irish Potato Famine was beginning. Douglass spent |
| greater in utilizing them, great in his inspiration, greater in | | | | two years in Great Britain and Ireland giving several |
| his efforts for humanity, great in the persuasion of his | | | | highly successful lectures, mainly in Protestant |
| speech, greater in the purpose that informed it." It | | | | churches or chapels, some "crowded to suffocation." |
| emphasized that his success arose in defiance of the | | | | On his return home, Douglass began preparation for |
| hindrances placed on his way by his country. It | | | | the publication of an anti-slavery paper. He realised |
| concluded that: "There is no sadder commentary on | | | | with disappointment that several journals edited by |
| American slavery than the life of Frederick Douglass." | | | | Negroes one of which Douglass himself aided had |
| But indeed as the paper goes on, 'the conquering might | | | | gone out of circulation. So Douglass aimed to establish |
| of freemen such as Douglass have ensured that no | | | | a paper that would be appearing regularly and remain |
| repetition occurs of such a sad chapter and that | | | | in constant service as 'a powerful evidence that the |
| through the unbridling of his lips he became the | | | | Negro was too much of a man to be held a chattel.' |
| deliverer of his people. For his voice was eloquent in | | | | Although his friends in England had raised &2,000 |
| the midst of other voices in proclaiming their | | | | to enable him launch his paper, other abolitionist |
| emancipation. | | | | opposed the dispersal of his efforts beyond public |
| Born a slave in Tuckahoe, Talbot County, Eastern | | | | speaking and were of the opinion that he did not have |
| Shore, Maryland, near Hillsborough,in February of 1817, | | | | sufficient funds. Douglass only momentarily stalled his |
| Douglass was about 12, when Hugh Auld's wife, | | | | plans in difference to his mentors and colleagues. |
| started teaching him the alphabet. Thereafter, | | | | But this was not to be stalled for long. On December 3, |
| Douglass succeeded in learning to read from white | | | | 1847, The North Star with Douglass as its editor |
| children in the neighborhood and by observing the | | | | appeared in Rochester, New York. Its proclaimed |
| writings of the men with whom he worked. When | | | | objective was 'to attack slavery in all its forms and |
| Hugh Auld discovered this, he strongly disapproved, | | | | aspects, advance Universal Emancipation, exact the |
| saying that if a slave learned to read, he would | | | | standard of public morality, promote the moral and |
| become dissatisfied with his condition and desire | | | | intellectual improvement of the colored people, and to |
| freedom; This far from frightening him being for | | | | hasten the day of freedom to our three million |
| Douglass the first anti-abolitionist speech he had ever | | | | enslaved fellow countrymen.' |
| heard stirred a great urge in him to equip himself well | | | | His paper became established as one of the |
| for his education and eventual liberation. | | | | outstanding anti-slavery papers in the North and one of |
| In 1833, Thomas Auld took Douglass back from his | | | | the few to last for quite a long time. But throughout its |
| brother but unable to put up with Douglas's rebellious | | | | long existence the paper edited by a man who had |
| spirit, he sent Douglass to work for Edward Covey, a | | | | spent the first twenty first years of his life in slavery |
| poor farmer who was a notorious "slave-breaker," for | | | | became a living proof of the potentialities of a people |
| a year to have him tamed. There Douglass was | | | | enthralled and the perfect answer to the question as |
| regularly flogged. Douglass was nearly broken down | | | | to whether fugitive slaves who came North "do not |
| psychologically by his ordeal, but he finally rebelled. | | | | necessarily become thieves or paupers." The most |
| Covey lost in the ensuing confrontation and never tried | | | | effective work for emancipation was accomplished |
| to beat him again. | | | | through his paper than through any other medium, |
| He successfully escaped slavery on September 3, | | | | even speaking in which area he was most |
| 1838, boarding a train to Havre de Grace, Maryland, | | | | accomplished. |
| dressed in a sailor's uniform and carrying identification | | | | Douglass's tireless work and the assistance he |
| papers provided by a free black seaman. After | | | | received from a few devoted friends in America and |
| crossing the Susquehanna River by ferry at Havre de | | | | England enable his paper to survive teething financial |
| Grace, he continued by train to Wilmington, Delaware. | | | | constraints. Douglass would often depart on lecture |
| From there he went by steamboat to "Quaker City" - | | | | tours to raise funds whenever funds were running out. |
| Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He eventually arrived in New | | | | Whilst on such tours he would supply the paper |
| York. | | | | detailed account by means of editorial |
| Douglass joined various organizations in New Bedford, | | | | correspondences. Gerrit Smith, a wealthy anti-slavery |
| Massachusetts, including a black church. He regularly | | | | leader in New York and several other friends also |
| attended abolitionist meetings. He subscribed to William | | | | came forward with contributions. Julia Griffiths of the |
| Lloyd Garrison's weekly journal, The Liberat and in 1841, | | | | Rochester Ladies Anti-Slavery Society sponsored |
| he heard Garrison speak at a meeting of the Bristol | | | | fairs and published Autographs for Freedom, a gift |
| Anti-Slavery Society. Unexpectedly asked to speak, | | | | book consisting of Abolitionist poems, letters, essays |
| Douglass told his story and was thereupon | | | | and extracts from famous speeches. |
| encouraged to become an anti-slavery lecturer. | | | | In 1851, he merged the North Star with Gerrit Smith's |
| Douglass was inspired by Garrison,and Garrison was | | | | Liberty Party Paper to form Frederick Douglass' Paper, |
| likewise impressed with Douglass, and wrote of him in | | | | which was published until 1860. Douglass eventually |
| The Liberator. | | | | became the publisher of a series of newspapers: The |
| A brilliant speaker, Douglass on the request of the | | | | North Star, Frederick Douglass Weekly, Frederick |
| American Anti-Slavery Society engaged in lecture | | | | Douglass' Paper, Douglass' Monthly and New National |
| tours which brought him recognition as one of | | | | Era.." |
| America's first great black speakers and won world | | | | By the time of the Civil War, Douglass was one of the |
| fame when his autobiography was published in 1845. | | | | most famous black men in the country, known for his |
| A firm believer in the equality of all people, whether | | | | oratories on the condition of the black race,and for his |
| black, female, American Indian, or recent immigrant, | | | | publications . |
| Douglass devoted his life to advocating the | | | | Douglass wrote about this in his newspapers declaring |
| brotherhood of all humankind. He was firmly committed | | | | his thoughts and how the war was indeed for the |
| to always unite with others to do right and not wrong. | | | | liberation of the slaves.Douglass like the abolitionists |
| He soon became one of the most effective orators of | | | | argued that the aim of the war was to end slavery |
| his day, an influential newspaper editor and a militant | | | | and that African Americans should be allowed to |
| reformer. | | | | engage in the fight for their freedom. On the night of |
| Douglass' best-known work is his first autobiography, | | | | December 31, 1862, when President Lincoln announced |
| Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an | | | | the Emancipation Proclamation, Douglass describes the |
| American Slave, published in 1845 to generally positive | | | | spirit of those waiting for the announcement: "We |
| reviews. It became an immediate bestseller. Within | | | | were waiting and listening as for a bolt from the |
| three years of its publication, it had been reprinted nine | | | | sky...we were watching...by the dim light of the stars for |
| times with 11,000 copies circulating in the United States; | | | | the dawn of a new day...we were longing for the |
| and translated into French and Dutch. At the time, | | | | answer to the agonizing prayers of centuries." |
| some skeptics were questioning whether a black man | | | | Once the slaves were freed, Douglass also wanted |
| could have produced such an eloquent piece of | | | | equality for his people as well. |