government rank as Minister Resident and Consul General to the Republic of Haiti.ĭouglass served as an adviser to President Abraham Lincoln throughout the Civil War. He was a best-selling author, a journalist, and the first African American to hold a high U.S. Douglass gained notoriety for his brilliant oratory and incisive antislavery writings.

He advised presidents and spoke worldwide on various human rights issues. He changed his name to Douglass after escaping his bondage at twenty to elude re-enslavement.įollowing his self-emancipation in 1838, Frederick Douglass became one of the most celebrated intellectuals of his time and one of the foremost leaders of the abolitionist movement in the decades before the Civil War. It was presumed his enslaver was his father, although he never knew for sure. He was birthed by an enslaved woman and was the property of a white man. About The Authorįrederick Augustus Washington Bailey was born into slavery on the Eastern Shore of Maryland sometime in 1818. ?Whether you are interested in the history of the abolitionist movement and the Civil War, committed to the cause of abolishing modern-day slavery, or need renewed vigor to fight for human rights today, this timeless book will equip and inspire you to follow your passions, knowing that even against all odds, one person can change the world. This new edition of Douglass’s world-changing work includes intimate reflections from modern-day leaders, a foreword and photograph section from Douglass’s direct descendants, and a timeline beginning in 1619 with an emphasis on Douglass’s life and family. His first autobiography, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, remains one of the most influential books of modern times, as captivating and stirring now as it was when it was first published in 1845. The truth, lessons, and hope he offered during his remarkable lifetime not only helped shape Abraham Lincoln’s presidency and the American Civil Rights movement, they can guide and inspire us in our own cultural moment.īorn into slavery in 1818, Douglass escaped to New York City at the age of twenty, determined to tell his story and fight for the rights of all men and women to be free. The country Frederick Douglass knew over one-hundred years ago is strikingly similar to the one we live in today. A nation with immense potential for freedom spiraling into prejudice, violence, and hate.

Children denied civil rights because of race. Families trapped in poverty and systemic injustices.

The life of frederick douglass