Frederick Douglass: African-American social reformer, writer, and abolitionist (c. 1818 – 1895)

He was born as a slave in Maryland. He learned to read. He escaped to the North in the 1830s.

Frederick Douglass
Frederick Douglass
Born	Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey (1818-02-14)February 14, 1818 Talbot County, Maryland
Died	February 20, 1895(1895-02-20) (aged 77) Washington, D.C.
Cause of death	heart attack or stroke
Other names	Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey
Occupation(s)	Public speaker, Author, Diplomat
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Anna Murray (m. 1838; died 1882) Helen Pitts (m. 1884)
Children	5

He soon became an abolitionist (someone who wants to end slavery). He worked with other abolitionists including William Lloyd Garrison. He was one of the most powerful speakers for abolitionism. Frederick also published his own newspaper "North Star". He wrote books, for example Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave and My Bondage and My Freedom. Douglass spent several years in England and Ireland. During the Civil War, Douglass was the most famous black man in the country. He met Abraham Lincoln. After the war, he was Ambassador to Haiti. He was an advocate for equal rights for African Americans.