Frederick Douglass, leader in the abolitionist movement and an early champion of women’s rights.
"The soul that is within me no man can degrade. I am not the one that is being degraded on account of this treatment, but those who are inflicting it upon me."
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Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey was born around 1818 into slavery in Talbot County, Maryland.
Defying a ban on teaching slaves to read and write, Baltimore slaveholder Hugh Auld’s wife Sophia taught Douglass the alphabet when he was around 12. When Auld forbade his wife to offer more lessons, Douglass continued to learn from white children and others in the neighborhood.
It was through reading that Douglass’ ideological opposition to slavery began to take shape. He read newspapers avidly and sought out political writing and literature as much as possible.
With Douglass moving between the Aulds, he was later made to work for Edward Covey, who had a reputation as a "slave-breaker.” Covey’s constant abuse nearly broke the 16-year-old Douglass psychologically.
Eventually, however, Douglass fought back.
The fight lasted almost two hours. After losing a physical confrontation with Douglass, Covey never beat him again.
"It is, perhaps, not altogether creditable to my natural temper, that, after this conflict with Mr. Covey, I did, at times, purposely aim to provoke him to an attack, by refusing to keep with the other hands in the field, but I could never bully him to another battle."
Douglass tried to escape from slavery twice before the finally succeeded.
He became one of the most famous intellectuals of his time, advising and lecturing to thousands on a range of causes.
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