Frederick Douglass

Frederick Douglass held many roles in American history: orator, author, statesman, and social activist. He escaped slavery to become an active leader of the abolitionist movement and social reform. As a voice for the abolition of slavery, Douglass' fine speaking skills and insightful writing helped destroy the then-held belief that African Americans were little more than animals. Douglass wrote several autobiographies, but the most notable is the 1845 autobiography, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave. Two other widely read autobiographies include the 1881 Life and Times of Frederick Douglass, which discusses events during the Civil War. Although slavery was abolished in 1863 when Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, another evil in the form of segregation prevailed for a full century beyond the bloody war. A firm believer in human equality regardless of gender, class, or birth, Frederick Douglass also extended his support for women’s suffrage as well. In this regard, he became the first African American to run for Vice President of the United States as the running mate for Victoria Woodhull on the Equal Rights Party ticket. Although that election bid failed, Douglass did go on to hold a number of public offices. Numerous biographies on Frederick Douglass are available as well, such as Graham Shirley’s There was Once A Slave... The heroic Story of Frederick Douglass, which was first published in 1947 and makes for compelling reading. For anyone wanting to read more about this great American hero, consider reading his autobiographies, which are still obtainable online today, or check out some of the many other books on this bloody part of American history.