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Frederick Douglas

Frederick Douglas
By:
Jillian Gress

Ms. Holden
History 101
11/22/05



Frederick Douglass was one of the leaders of the abolitionist movement, which fought to end slavery within the United States. Douglas was a brilliant man and had a powerful voice for rights of African Americans and all humankind during this period. He was one of many people who spoke out about the injustices of slavery. He became recognized as one of America's first great black speakers.
Frederick Bailey was born a slave in February 1818 in Talbot County, on Maryland's Eastern Shore. He was born to Harriet Bailey, also a slave. He didn't know much about his father, only that he was a white man. Because his mother had to work long hours, Frederick was sent to live with his grandmother, Betsey Bailey. The role of his grandmother was to care for him and his siblings until they were old enough to work. When he was old enough, at about the age of 6 or 7, he was taken to Colonel Lloyd's Plantation. It was at this point, when his grandmother left him there, that he was to learn about the harsh realities of slavery. He never recovered from the betrayal of the abandonment.
While at this plantation, he witnessed and experienced what it was truly like to be a slave. His memories of his mother was formed from a few brief visits. In one of his memories, he remembered his mother scolding a house cook. A few months after this visit, she died. Frederick did not find out until much later, after her death. He was saddened by the fact that he did not get the opportunity to get to know his mother more. This was a part of slavery that he could never forgive. He witnessed the lashing of others. At times he felt the whip on his own flesh because of his resistance to slavery. For four years, he had to endure the hardships that accompanied being a slave at the Lloyd Plantation.
In 1826, he was sent to live with Hugh Auld, a relative of his master. Here, his duty was to run errands and take care...