Frederick Douglass

1
Frederick Douglass

• Essential Question
• How do I discuss the lives of historical figures
  who expanded peoples rights and freedoms in a
  democracy?

Unit Launch
2
Who Was Frederick Douglass?

• Born a slave in 1818 in Tuckahoe, Maryland.
• Sent to Baltimore, Maryland to be a house slave.
• His slave name was Frederick Bailey.

3
Location

• Frederick lived in the Southeast region of the
  United States.
• He was born and grew up in the state of Maryland.

4
Impact of Location

• The Southeast region of the United States allowed
  slavery, and millions of African Americans were
  forced to work for no pay.

5
Social BarrierLack of Education

• It was against the law to teach a slave to read.
• It was feared slaves would want their freedom if
  they became educated.
• Frederick wanted to learn to read.

6
Overcoming Lack of Education

• Frederick learned to read in secret.
• His masters wife taught him to read, but then
  the master stopped the lessons.
• He started giving the poor white neighborhood
  boys pieces of bread to teach him what they
  learned in school.
• He used chalk on brick walls and wooden fences to
  practice his writing.
• When Fredericks master was away from home, he
  read the school books of his the masters son.
• When his master found out he was learning, he
  beat him.
• Frederick knew he must keep learning.

7
Social Barrier - Slavery
Brain Pop - Slavery
WORD
rights freedoms that are protected by a countrys
laws

• Frederick was a slave.
• Most enslaved people lived in bad housing, and
  had very simple food to eat.
• They had no rights.
• Slave owners could treat them in any way for any
  reason.
• Frederick believed all enslaved people wanted
  liberty.

TO KNOW
WORD
liberty freedom from control by another
TO KNOW
8
Overcoming Slavery

• At age 21, Frederick escaped from slavery.
• Frederick dressed up as a sailor, and got aboard
  a train heading north.
• African American passengers needed to carry
  papers that proved they were free.
• He borrowed papers from a free African American
  sailor.
• Frederick was worried because he did not look
  like the man.
• The conductor only glanced at his papers.
• He made it to New York, which was a free state!

9
Adapted to Environment
United Streaming Abolition Movement

• After Frederick escaped to New York, he changed
  his name to Frederick Douglass.
• He spoke about his experiences as a slave at
  meetings.
• He attended the Massachusetts Anti-Slavery
  Society.
• The society asked him to travel and lecture about
  slavery.
• He would ask audiences to support the
  Anti-Slavery movement by becoming an
  abolitionist.

WORD
abolitionist a person who wants to end slavery
TO KNOW
10
Adapted to Environment

• In 1845 Frederick wrote his autobiography,
  Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass.
• The book became so well known that he was in
  danger of being caught by a slave catcher.
• He traveled to Great Britain where
• slavery was illegal.
• His British friends raised money
• to buy Fredericks freedom from
• his master.
• He earned his freedom on
• December 5, 1846, after paying
• 711.66!

11
Movements

• Born in Tuckahoe, Maryland
• As a boy he was sent to Baltimore, Maryland, to
  be a house slave.
• Took a train to New York to escape slavery.
• Married Anna Murray and moved to Massachusetts.
• Moved to Great Britain to escape
• slave catchers.
• After buying his freedom he moved
• Rochester, New York.

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Movements Continued
Atlantic Ocean

• Maryland to New York
• New York to Massachusetts
• Massachusetts to Great Britain
• Great Britain to New York

13
His Work Continues

• In 1845 Frederick and Martin Delany published a
  newspaper called the North Star.
• This paper encouraged blacks to feel good about
  themselves, fight discrimination, and become
  hardworking members of society.

discrimination unfair treatment to an individual
who is different
WORD
TO KNOW
14
His Work Continues

• In the 1860s, President Abraham Lincoln asked
  Frederick Douglass to recruit black slaves for
  the Union army in the Civil War.
• Frederick suggested he free slaves who fought in
  the war.
• In 1863, Lincoln issued
• the Emancipation
• Proclamation and freed
• the slaves!
• Lincoln and Douglass
• remained friends.

15
His Work Continues
Brain Pop - Underground Railroad

• Douglass was part of the Underground Railroad.
• People such as Douglass were conductors on the
  railroad.

16
His Work Continues

• Frederick fought for black voting rights.
• In 1870, the 15th Amendment was ratified, which
  gave American men of any color the right to
  vote!
• He supported
• the right of women to
• vote at a time when
• many people did not
• think it was a good
• idea.
• One of his friends was
• Susan B. Anthony.

17
Character Traits
Liberty

• To value liberty means to want freedom from the
  control of others.
• Douglass worked for his own freedom and for
  freedom of all African Americans

Justice

• Justice is fair treatment.
• Frederick Douglass spoke out against laws that
  took away rights from African Americans and women.

Freedom of Conscience and Expression

• Freedom of Conscience and Expression means that
  people have the right to think and say what they
  believe.
• He spent most of his life speaking and writing
  about the evils of slavery.