Frederick Douglass
I was born into a life of slavery. Separated from
my mother, I was raised by my grandparents.
The wife of my enslaver broke the rules and
taught me how to read and write. At the age
of 16, I was sent to work for Edward Covey,
a poor farmer known as a "slave breaker." He
whipped me regularly. Eventually, I fought back
and Covey never whipped me again. In 1838,
I escaped to freedom by pretending to be a
sailor. I settled in Massachusetts, where I joined
a Black church and began attending abolition-
ist meetings. At those meetings, other activists
encouraged me to tell my story. In 1845, my
autobiography, Narrative of the Life of Freder-
ick Douglass, an American Slave, was published
and became an international best seller. I also
published my own newspaper, the North Star. I
rejected the pacifism of many white abolition-
ists and called on Blacks to defend themselves
with guns if necessary against slave catchers.
Throughout my life, I fought for equal treat-
ment of all people, including women. I was
the only African American at the first women's
rights convention in Seneca Falls. I would unite
with anybody for justice. Without struggle,
there can be no progress.