Frederick Douglass
(1818-1895)

African-American Abolitionist, Social Reformer
Points of Light Foundation Extra Mile Honoree

birthdate: c. February 14
birthplace:
near Easton, Maryland

Frederick Douglass is the most famous African-American of the 19th Century. After escaping from slavery, he became one of the nation's leading abolitionists who advocated for abolishing slavery. He was a brilliant speaker and was asked by the American Anti Slavery Society to travel on a lecture tour to speak for freedom. He was quickly hailed as one of the first great African-American speakers and when his autobiography was published in 1845, his fame spread around the world. During the Civil War, Frederick Douglass served as an adviser to President Abraham Lincoln and he was a powerful and influential voice for the adoption of Constitutional Amendments that guaranteed African Americans voting rights and other civil liberties. After the war, Frederick Douglass thought about buying a farm and retiring, but he saw that even though slavery was abolished in America, there was still a lot of racial injustice. He spent the rest of his life working for freedom, justice and equality for all.

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