Profile of the Day: Frederick Douglass
To kick off Black History Month, today we celebrate the life of abolitionist Frederick Douglass.
Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey was born into slavery in Talbot County, Maryland around February 1818. Although the exact date of his birth is not known, he chose to celebrate it on February 14. Years later, after escaping to the North, he took the surname Douglass.
As a child, he secretly taught himself to read and write, believing that “knowledge is a pathway from slavery to freedom.” After escaping from slavery in 1838, Douglass wrote several autobiographies detailing his life as a slave. His best known work, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, is often considered to be one of the most influential pieces of literature in support the abolitionist movement.
How are you related to Frederick Douglass? Explore his family tree and discover how you’re related!
View Frederick Douglass’s Geni Profile
Image: New York Public Library