Frederick Douglass escaped from slavery in 1838, when he was just 20 years old.
Douglass had been enslaved since he was a young child, born into slavery in Talbot County, Maryland. He spent seven years as a slave in Baltimore before escaping by boarding a train to Philadelphia. He eventually settled in New York City and became an abolitionist who was known for his activism and speeches against slavery.
Douglass wrote his autobiography, “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave,” in 1845. It is regarded as one of the most important books written by a former slave about life under slavery and served as an inspiration for later generations of African Americans fighting for civil rights.
Douglass died in 1895 at the age of 77 after suffering from a stroke while giving one last speech against segregation at Carnegie Hall in New York City.
