Frederick Douglass: A Sterling Example in Literacy

Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey was born into slavery during February 1818 on a farm in Talbot County, Maryland. This was an area located on the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake Bay. He never was told the date of his birth. As an adult, he decided to choose the 14th, Valentine´s Day, to celebrate his birthday.

"By far the larger part of the slaves know as little of their ages as horses know of theirs, and it is the wish of most masters within my knowledge to keep their slaves thus ignorant. I do not remember to have ever met a slave who could tell of his birthday."

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave. Chapter I.

Learning How to Read and Write

He learned to read and write initially with the help of Mrs. Sophia Auld, who was the wife of his new master in Baltimore, Maryland. When Mr. Auld learned of this development, he stopped the lessons immediately. At this time in the United States, there were severe penalties to teach a slave how to read and write. But with extreme self-determination, young Frederick became able to read and write in ways that would shock and surprise his audiences for the rest of his life.

"Very soon after I went to live with Mr. and Mrs. Auld, she very kindly commenced to teach me the A, B, C. After I had learned this, she assisted me in learning to spell words of three or four letters. Just at this point of my progress, Mr. Auld found out what was going on, and at once forbade Mrs. Auld to instruct me further, telling her, among other things, that it was unlawful, as well as unsafe, to teach a slave to read.

´It would forever unfit him to be a slave. He would at once become unmanageable, and of no value to his master. As to himself, it could do him no good, but a great deal of harm. It would make him discontented and unhappy.´

These words sank deep into my heart, stirred up sentiments within that lay slumbering, and called into existence an entirely new train of thought. It was a new and special revelation, explaining dark and mysterious things, with which my youthful understanding had struggled, but struggled in vain. I now understood what had been to me a most perplexing difficulty–to wit, the white man´s power to enslave the black man. It was a grand achievement, and I prized it highly. From that moment, I understood the pathway from slavery to freedom."

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave. Chapter VI.

Befriending Young Boys

"The plan which I adopted, and the one by which I was most successful, was that of making friends of all the little white boys whom I met in the street. As many of these as I could, I converted into teachers. With their kindly aid, obtained at different times and in different places, I finally succeeded in learning to read. When I was sent of errands, I always took my book with me, and by going one part of my errand quickly, I found time to get a lesson before my return. I used also to carry bread with me, enough of which was always in the house, and to which I was always welcome; for I was much better off in this regard than many of the poor white children in our neighborhood. This bread I used to bestow upon the hungry little urchins, who, in return, would give me that more valuable bread of knowledge."

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave. Chapter VII.

Lessons from the Shipyard

"The idea as to how I might learn to write was suggested to me by being in Durgin and Bailey´s ship-yard, and frequently seeing the ship carpenters, after hewing, and getting a piece of timber ready for use, write on the timber the name of that part of the ship for which it was intended. When a piece of timber was intended for the larboard side, it would be marked thus–"L." When a piece was for the starboard side, it would be marked thus–"S." A piece for the larboard side forward, would be marked thus–"L. F." When a piece was for starboard side forward, it would be marked thus–"S. F." For larboard aft, it would be marked thus–"L. A." For starboard aft, it would be marked thus–"S. A."

I soon learned the names of these letters, and for what they were intended when placed upon a piece of timber in the ship-yard. I immediately commenced copying them, and in a short time was able to make the four letters named. After that, when I met with any boy who I knew could write, I would tell him I could write as well as he. The next word would be, ´I don´t believe you. Let me see you try it.´ I would then make the letters which I had been so fortunate as to learn, and ask him to beat that. In this way I got a good many lessons in writing, which it is quite possible I should never have gotten in any other way. During this time, my copy-book was the board fence, brick wall, and pavement; my pen and ink was a lump of chalk. With these, I learned mainly how to write."

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave. Chapter VII.

His Life as a Free Man

Upon his escape from slavery in 1838, he eventually found a new home in New Bedford, Massachusetts. He changed his last name to "Douglass." Due to prejudice against black men, he was not able to find a job as a boat caulker, which was his trade. He worked a variety of laborer jobs to support himself and his wife, Anna. The couple would later have five children.

A few years later, he made a speech in front of the Anti-Slavery Society of Massachusetts. His public speaking abilities and life-story were so impressive that many did not believe he could have been a slave. He decided to write his first book, "Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave," in 1845. It remains one of the jewels of the English language, along with his keen observations about his former years in slavery.

Publicity from the book forced Mr. Douglass to leave the country. He would spend the next two years on speaking tours in Great Britain and Ireland. After a period of two years, due to contributions from British and Americans, Mr. Douglass was able to buy his freedom. He moved to Rochester, New York, and co-founded with fellow abolitionist, Martin Delaney, "The North Star." In 1851, he began to publish his own journal called the "Frederick Douglass´ Paper." Two of his children, Rossetta and Charles, were involved in his newspaper publications.

Due to his celebrity and speaking skills, Mr. Douglass reached a large audience. He continued to talk about the evils of slavery, and during the Civil War, assisted in the recruitment of black men into the historic 54th and 55th regiments of Massachusetts. In 1863, Mr. Douglass met with President Abraham Lincoln to discuss the treatment of black soldiers in the Union Army, along with the eventual freedom of all slaves.

Later Life

During his later years, Mr. Douglass continued to fight social injustices. He began to speak about women´s suffrage (human rights for women), and later would have a number of government jobs. He made a final revision to his earlier autobiography, "Life and Times of Frederick Douglass" in 1881. On 20 February 1895, Mr. Douglass died of a heart attack at his beloved Washington home, Cedar Hill.

Mr. Douglass was born into the shackles of slavery; however, he was always the master of his brilliant mind.

"The soul that is within me no man can degrade." Frederick Douglass

About the Author

Steve Amoia is a freelance writer, editor and translator from Washington, D.C. He was the historical editor at the "Frederick Douglass Blog" in 2007.