Frederick Douglass

Frederick Douglass (born Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey, c. February 1818) was an American social reformer, abolitionist, orator, writer, and statesman who escaped slavery in Maryland in 1838 and became a leading figure in the fight for African-American civil rights. He gained fame through his powerful antislavery speeches and writings, including his acclaimed autobiography *Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave* published in 1845. Douglass advised presidents, published the newspaper *The North Star*, and held high-ranking government positions such as U.S. Marshal for the District of Columbia and Minister to Haiti.