Frederick Douglass: Abolitionist and Fighter for Equality
INTRODUCING FREDERICK DOUGLASS Frederick Douglass was a brilliant writer and speaker who lived during the nineteenth century He was also a former slave and a leader of the movement to end slavery Slavery is the practice of people owning other people The people who are enslaved are forced to work without pay Slavery was common in many parts of the United States until the middle of the 1860s American slaves were people who had been stolen from Africa and their DESCENDANTS Douglass was an educated slave at a time when it was illegal for slaves to know how to read and write After he escaped from slavery he used his education to give speeches and to write about the horrors of 4 CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCING FREDERICK DOUGLASS Vocabulary DESCENDANTS are people who are related to a person or group of people who lived in the past slavery His words helped to turn many white Americans Americans against slavery He spoke to large crowds across the northern and midwestern midwestern United States He even traveled to Europe to give speeches After slavery ended Douglass continued to work for the rights of African Frederick Douglass was one of the most famous leaders of the fight to end slavery in the United States 5
FREDERICK DOUGLASS Quick Fact Douglass earned the money to start his first newspaper by giving speeches in Europe Americans His work inspired many African Americans He showed people that it was possible to escape from slavery and become successful His life also gave proof to white people people that African Americans had the ability to succeed The Underground Railroad was a secret network of routes and hideouts hideouts that escaped slaves used to make it to the northern states 6
INTRODUCING FREDERICK DOUGLASS Douglass went on a speaking tour of Great Britain and Ireland where he impressed many people with his speeches about his time in slavery Douglass also supported supported women’s rights He was active in the fight to give women the right to vote Later in life Douglass Douglass held many important government jobs He was a pioneer because no other African American had held those jobs before He also continued to write publish publish newspapers and give speeches Today his speeches and books still have the power to inspire people 7
