Nonetheless, Douglass and Pitts remained married until his death 11 years later. Douglass’ children were especially displeased with the relationship. Their marriage caused considerable controversy, since Pitts was white and nearly 20 years younger than Douglass. A graduate of Mount Holyoke College, Pitts worked on a radical feminist publication and shared many of Douglass’ moral principles. Pitts was the daughter of Gideon Pitts Jr., an abolitionist colleague. Anna remained a loyal supporter of Douglass' public work, despite marital strife caused by his relationships with several other women.Īfter Anna’s death, Douglass married Helen Pitts, a feminist from Honeoye, New York. Charles and Rosetta assisted their father in the production of his newspaper The North Star. There they adopted Douglass as their married name.ĭouglass and Anna had five children together: Rosetta, Lewis Henry, Frederick Jr., Charles Redmond and Annie, who died at the age of 10. Anna and Frederick then settled in New Bedford, Massachusetts, which had a thriving free Black community. Once he had arrived, Douglass sent for Murray to meet him in New York, where they married and adopted the name of Johnson to disguise Douglass’ identity. Douglass made his way to the safe house of abolitionist David Ruggles in New York in less than 24 hours. He carried identification papers obtained from a free Black seaman. Murray had provided him with some of her savings and a sailor's uniform. On September 3, 1838, Douglass boarded a train to Havre de Grace, Maryland. Douglass had fallen in love with Murray, who assisted him in his final attempt to escape slavery in Baltimore. Wife and Childrenĭouglass married Anna Murray, a free Black woman, on September 15, 1838. Douglass tried to escape from slavery twice before he finally succeeded. Eventually, however, Douglass fought back, in a scene rendered powerfully in his first autobiography.Īfter losing a physical confrontation with Douglass, Covey never beat him again. 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. Armed with clubs and stones, they dispersed the congregation permanently. Although Freeland did not interfere with the lessons, other local slave owners were less understanding. Interest was so great that in any week, more than 40 slaves would attend lessons. Hired out to William Freeland, he taught other slaves on the plantation to read the New Testament at a weekly church service. In later years, Douglass credited The Columbian Orator with clarifying and defining his views on human rights.ĭouglass shared his newfound knowledge with other enslaved people. He read newspapers avidly and sought out political writing and literature as much as possible. It was through reading that Douglass’ ideological opposition to slavery began to take shape. When Auld forbade his wife to offer more lessons, Douglass continued to learn from white children and others in the neighborhood. His mother, who was an intermittent presence in his life, died when he was around 10.įrederick Douglass Collection of the National Museum of African American History and Cultureĭefying 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. At a young age, Douglass was selected to live in the home of the plantation owners, one of whom may have been his father. As was often the case with slaves, the exact year and date of Douglass' birth are unknown, though later in life he chose to celebrate it on February 14.ĭouglass initially lived with his maternal grandmother, Betty Bailey. Early Lifeįrederick Augustus Washington Bailey was born around 1818 into slavery in Talbot County, Maryland. He became one of the most famous intellectuals of his time, advising presidents and lecturing to thousands on a range of causes, including women’s rights and Irish home rule.Īmong Douglass’ writings are several autobiographies eloquently describing his experiences in slavery and his life after the Civil War, including the well-known work Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave. Abolitionist leader Frederick Douglass was born into slavery sometime around 1818 in Talbot County, Maryland.
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