Fredrick Douglass was an important person and a historical figure to the African American population, in America. He was known for his autobiography and how he escaped slavery to become a free slave. Now, let me being by discussing his roll to some important factors that played a part to the emancipation of African Americans. These important factors include his life, becoming an Abolitionist, how he changed the course for America, and influenced the civil war.
Fredrick Douglass was born into slavery in Talbot country, Maryland around 1818. Although, he doesn’t know the specific date, he later decided to celebrate his birthday on February 14th. He didn’t know his father, but he did know he was white. Douglass lived with his grandmother growing up, …show more content…
This is where his intellectual beliefs began to take shape about slavery. He would read books, political writing, and literature to further his knowledge. He credited most of his views on human rights to The Columbian Orator. Fredrick Douglass shared his new found knowledge with a few enslaved people on the plantation. Douglass then got hired out by another plantation owner, William Freeland. Fredrick Douglass later taught slaves on the plantation how to read the New Testament at a weekly church service. As interest grew, Douglass would have around forty slaves each week to listen and learn the service. Although, Freeland did not intervene on these services, but other plantation owners were upset. That is when the plantation owners that disagreed in Fredrick’s Douglass congregation, harassed them with clubs and stones, to make him stop. That was when Douglass was made to work for Edward Covey, he was known for being a slave breaker. The tremendous abuse that Fredrick Douglass encountered by Edward Covey, almost broke the sixteen-year-old psychologically. However, Fredrick Douglass eventually fought back causing Covey to never beat him