Frederick Douglass
Abolitionist, Writer & Statesman
1818–1895 · United States
Used autobiography, journalism, public speaking, and political advocacy to attack slavery and expand the meaning of American citizenship.
The Full Profile
Frederick Douglass, Abolitionist, Writer & Statesman, used autobiography, journalism, public speaking, and political advocacy to attack slavery and expand the meaning of American citizenship. Born enslaved in Maryland, Frederick Douglass escaped in 1838 and became one of the 19th century's leading abolitionists. His autobiographies and speeches exposed slavery's violence while asserting Black intellectual and political equality. After the Civil War he continued advocating for voting rights, women's rights, and equal citizenship. His 1845 Narrative, his 1852 Fourth of July speech, and decades of newspaper editorship made him the most influential Black voice in America; he advised Lincoln, championed women's suffrage, and became the most photographed American of the nineteenth century.