How long was frederick douglass held as a slave

Here are a few things that might surprise you about this pioneering historic figure as the National Park Service prepares to celebrate the bicentennial of his birth at the Frederick Douglass National Historic Site in Washington, D. Historian and educator Carter G. Although Douglass was born into slavery and his actual birth date is unknown, he chose to commemorate his birthday on February Douglass was the most photographed American of the 19th century, sitting for more portraits than even Abraham Lincoln.

Douglass intentionally sought out the cameras, believing that photography was an important tool for achieving civil rights because it offered a way to portray African Americans fairly and accurately. Frederick Douglass chose his name from a poem. Douglass was born with the name Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey. Douglass became a free man thanks to help from European allies. While abroad, he went on a speaking tour and his British supporters were so moved, they collected funds to purchase his freedom in His autobiographies remain some of the most important and widely read accounts of slavery today.

During the Civil War, Douglass passionately helped enlist free black men to fight in the Union Army , convinced it would help African Americans win freedom, respect and full citizenship. Douglass also helped improve conditions for the soldiers, meeting with Lincoln on issues such as equal pay and merit-based promotions, which African American soldiers eventually received.

Still, some of his audiences suspected he was not truly a fugitive slave. In , he published his first autobiography, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass , to lay those doubts to rest. The narrative gave a clear record of names and places from his enslavement. To avoid being captured and re-enslaved, Douglass traveled overseas.

For almost two years, he gave speeches and sold copies of his narrative in England, Ireland, and Scotland. When abolitionists offered to purchase his freedom, Douglass accepted and returned home to the United States legally free.

He relocated Anna and their children to Rochester, New York. In Rochester, Douglass took his work in new directions. He embraced the women's rights movement, helped people on the Underground Railroad, and supported anti-slavery political parties. He bought a printing press and ran his own newspaper, The North Star. In , he published his second autobiography, My Bondage and My Freedom , which expanded on his first autobiography and challenged racial segregation in the North.

Frederick Douglass standing in front of his house on Capitol Hill, ca. He later purchased and moved to the suburban estate in Anacostia that he named Cedar Hill. In , the nation erupted into civil war over the issue of slavery. Frederick Douglass worked tirelessly to make sure that emancipation would be one of the war's outcomes. He recruited African-American men to fight in the U.

Army, including two of his own sons, who served in the famous 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry. When black troops protested they were not receiving pay and treatment equal to that of white troops, Douglass met with President Abraham Lincoln to advocate on their behalf.

As the Civil War progressed and emancipation seemed imminent, Douglass intensified the fight for equal citizenship. He argued that freedom would be empty if former slaves were not guaranteed the rights and protections of American citizens. A series of postwar amendments sought to make some of these tremendous changes. The 13th Amendment ratified in abolished slavery, the 14th Amendment ratified in granted national birthright citizenship, and the 15th Amendment ratified in stated nobody could be denied voting rights on the basis of race, skin color, or previous servitude.

In , the Douglasses moved to Washington, D. There were multiple reasons for their move: Douglass had been traveling frequently to the area ever since the Civil War, all three of their sons already lived in the federal district, and the old family home in Rochester had burned. A widely known public figure by the time of Reconstruction, Douglass started to hold prestigious offices, including assistant secretary of the Santo Domingo Commission, legislative council member of the D.

Frederick Douglass as a statesman. Library of Congress Post-Reconstruction and Death. After the fall of Reconstruction, Frederick Douglass managed to retain high-ranking federal appointments.

He served under five presidents as U. Search WHHA - start typing and then listen for common searches like yours. Explore the Initiative. The Sessions Podcast. Have you Ever Wondered How was the location of the White House selected? Which president started the tradition of pardoning the Thanksgiving turkey? Who oversees the White House and the Residence staff? Have any presidents or first ladies died at the White House?

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