On this day, 20 February, in 1895, Frederick Douglass (1818-95), a leading figure in the US slavery abolition movement, died aged 77 due to either a heart attack or a stroke.
Douglass was born Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey to Harriet Bailey, an enslaved African woman and a white man whose details remain unknown. Though his exact date of birth is unknown, it is estimated to be around February 1818. He later adopted 14 February as his birthday.
Douglass was separated from his mother as a child and spent most of his early years with his maternal grandmother. His mother died when he was still a child. He spent most of his teens enslaved on different plantations and in city homes.
Despite slaveholders banning enslaved people from learning to read and write, Douglass found ways to educate himself.
In 1838, Douglass escaped from Maryland to New York by disguising himself as a sailor. He later moved to Massachusetts with his wife, Anna Murray (1813-82), a free African woman who helped Douglass escape his final enslaver. In Massachusetts, he changed his surname to Douglass. Here, he also got involved with the local abolitionist movement. In 1841, he addressed the Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society’s annual convention. His oratory prowess mesmerised the audience, prompting his rise through the movement’s ranks.
Aside from his oration, Douglass was a gifted writer. In 1845, he published his first book, an autobiography, ‘Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave.’
He spent the 1840s travelling around the United States advocating for the abolition of slavery and suffering several physical attacks, including one in Pendleton, Indiana, in 1843 that broke his hand. However, these attacks did not deter Douglass.
In his later years, he was a newspaper publisher and held several government positions. He also advocated for the US Constitution to grant formerly enslaved people the right to vote.
Until his death, Douglass remained a champion of African people. Now, he continues to be a source of inspiration for all those standing against imperialist exploitation.
Sources:
https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/frederick-douglass
https://www.whitehousehistory.org/frederick-douglass
https://www.biography.com/activists/frederick-douglass
https://www.nantucket-ma.gov/DocumentCenter/View/37300/FD-WALKING-TOUR-FINAL-2-003
https://www.nps.gov/museum/exhibits/douglass/exb/visionary/FRDO497_deathHand.html
https://freedomcenter.org/voice/agitation-and-activism-the-life-and-legacy-of-frederick-douglass
https://sos.oregon.gov/archives/exhibits/suffrage/Pages/bio/douglass.aspx