Most Popular Books by Frederick Douglass

In the month of August, 1841, I attended an anti-slavery convention in Nantucket, at which it was my happiness to become acquainted with Frederick Douglass, the writer of the following Narrative. He was a stranger to nearly every member of that body; but, having recently made his escape from the southern prison-house of bondage, and feeling his curiosity excited to ascertain the principles and measures of the abolitionists,—of whom he had heard a somewhat vague description while he was a slave,—he was induced to give his attendance, on the occasion alluded to, though at that time a resident in New Bedford.

In the month of August, 1841, I attended an anti-slavery convention in Nantucket, at which it was my happiness to become acquainted with Frederick Douglass, the writer of the following Narrative. He was a stranger to nearly every member of that body; but, having recently made his escape from the southern prison-house of bondage, and feeling his curiosity excited to ascertain the principles and measures of the abolitionists,-of whom he had heard a somewhat vague description while he was a slave,-he was induced to give his attendance, on the occasion alluded to, though at that time a resident in New Bedford. Fortunate, most fortunate occurrence!-fortunate for the millions of his manacled brethren, yet panting for deliverance from their awful thraldom!-fortunate for the cause of negro emancipation, and of universal liberty!-fortunate for the land of his birth, which he has already done so much to save and bless!-fortunate for a large circle of friends and acquaintances, whose sympathy and affection he has strongly secured by the many sufferings he has endured, by his virtuous traits of character, by his ever-abiding remembrance of those who are in bonds, as being bound with them!-fortunate for the multitudes, in various parts of our republic, whose minds he has enlightened on the subject of slavery, and who have been melted to tears by his pathos, or roused to virtuous indignation by his stirring eloquence against the enslavers of men!-fortunate for himself, as it at once brought him into the field of public usefulness, \"gave the world assurance of a MAN,\" quickened the slumbering energies of his soul, and consecrated him to the great work of breaking the rod of the oppressor, and letting the oppressed go free!

A new edition of one of the most influential literary documents in American and African American history Ideal for coursework in American and African American history, this revised edition of Frederick Douglass’s memoir of his life as a slave in pre-Civil War Maryland incorporates a wide range of supplemental materials to enhance students’ understanding of slavery, abolitionism, and the role of race in American society. Offering readers a new appreciation of Douglass’s world, it includes documents relating to the slave narrative genre and to the later career of an essential figure in the nineteenth-century abolition movement.

The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass was written in 1845, seven years after Douglass escaped slavery, and is the first of three autobiographies. It covers his life as a slave, enduring the whips of the overseers and the hopelessness of his circumstances, until his escape to the north and arrival at New Bedford, Massachusetts. The brutalities he witnessed and his slowly growing desire for freedom are presented in the vivid language he was already known for in his antislavery oration. The eloquence of Douglass’s speeches caused some skeptics to doubt his credibility, believing that a former slave with no education could never speak so well. Thus, part of his motivation for writing the book was to dispel this suspicion and to provide a fuller history than was possible in his lectures. The abolitionists William Lloyd Garrison and Wendell Phillips provided introductions vouching for the truth of Douglass’s words. The book was an immediate best seller. The fame brought danger to Douglass, who sailed for England shortly after the book’s publication to ensure he would not be apprehended as a fugitive slave. He spent two years touring and lecturing in Great Britain and Ireland before returning to America to continue his abolitionist work. English supporters raised funds to purchase his freedom from his former master. The slave narrative is an autobiographical genre written by escaped slaves concerning their lives in bondage. Slave narratives not only promoted abolitionism by giving first hand evidence of the cruelty and hypocrisy of slaveholders, but also allowed African Americans to express themselves as intelligent, articulate individuals, deserving of respect and freedom. Douglass’s Narrative is perhaps the most important example of the genre, on the basis of its literary merits and its impact on the abolitionist movement.

The autobiography of the famous abolitionist and statesman who escaped to the North after twenty-one years of enslavement

Frederick Douglass was an ex-slave and a great orator in early 19th-century USA. His autobiography details his experiences as a slave and is considered the most famous such work, though many similar were written by his contemporaries. This work also influenced and fueled the abolitionist movement, in which Douglass was an important figure.

The Life and Times of Frederick Douglass is a compelling autobiography that chronicles the remarkable journey of Frederick Douglass from his early life as a slave to his eventual escape from bondage and his significant contributions to the abolitionist movement. In summary, Frederick Douglass''s life is a testament to resilience, determination, and the pursuit of justice. His journey from slavery to freedom, coupled with his impactful advocacy, has left an enduring legacy in the fight against oppression and inequality.

Douglass begins by saying that he does not know his birthday and this bothers him. What a simple statement yet is conveys so much of the laments of an ex slave and the cruelty of the slave system. Douglass was a famous orator who wrote his memoirs as a means of discussing abolition. The writings of Frederick Douglass are seen as being the most influential in the 19th century and helped strengthen the abolitionist movement.

Raised as a plantation slave who was taught to read and write by one of his owners, Frederick Douglass became a brilliant writer, eloquent orator, and major participant in the stuggle of African-Americans for freedom and equality. In this engrossing, first-hand narrative originally published in 1845, he vividly recounts early years of physical abuse, deprivation and tragedy; his dramatic escape to the North and eventual freedom, abolitionist campaigns, and crusade for full civil rights for former slaves. A powerful autobiography of a passionate civil rights advocate, this book will be of value to anyone interested in African-American history.

''It will be seen in these pages that I have lived several lives in one: first, the life of slavery; secondly, the life of a fugitive from slavery; thirdly, the life of comparative freedom; fourthly, the life of conflict and battle; and, fifthly, the life of victory, if not complete, at least assured.'' First published in 1892, Life and Times of Frederick Douglass Written By Himself is the final autobiography written by Frederick Douglass (1818-1895), a man who was born into slavery in Talbot County, Maryland. Securing his self-liberation at twenty years of age in 1838, he went on to become the most renowned antislavery activist, social justice campaigner, author, orator, philosopher, essayist, historian, intellectual, statesman, and liberator in U.S. history. A powerful literary work, Douglass'' final autobiography shares the stories of his ''several lives in one.'' Beginning with his war against ''the hell-black system of human bondage,'' Douglass bears witness to his personal experiences of mind-body-and soul-destroying tragedies. Living a new life as a ''fugitive from slavery,'' he tells his audiences of his decades-long labours as a world-leading freedom-fighter. Ever vigilant in his protest against the discriminatory persecutions endured by millions of ''my people,'' he testifies to the terrible reality that his ''life of comparative freedom'' necessitated a lifelong fight against the inhumane injustices of ''American prejudice against colour.'' Living a death-defying ''life of conflict and battle'' during the Civil War, Douglass celebrates the ''life of victory'' promised by post-war civil rights legislation only to condemn the failures of the U.S. nation either to exterminate slavery or secure equal rights for all. All too painfully aware that the ''conflict between the spirit of liberty and the spirit of slavery'' was far from over and would become the unending struggle for ''aftercoming generations'' in the ongoing war against white supremacy, Douglass remained a fearless fighter against the ''infernal and barbarous spirit of slavery'' ''wherever I find it'' to the day that he died. This new edition examines Douglass'' memorialization of his own and his mother Harriet Bailey''s first-hand experiences of enslavement and of their ''mental'' liberation through a ''love of letters''; his representation of Civil War Black combat heroism; his conviction that ''education means emancipation''; and finally, his ''unending battle'' with white publishers for the freedom to ''tell my story.'' This volume reproduces Frederick Douglass'' emotionally powerful and politically hard-hitting anti-lynching speech, Lessons of the Hour, published in 1894. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World''s Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford''s commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.

To commemorate the 150th Anniversary of the end of the Civil War, Diversion Books is publishing seminal works of the era: stories told by the men and women who led, who fought, and who lived in an America that had come apart at the seams. One of the most important figures of the Civil War, Frederick Douglass, was born into slavery but rose to become a tremendous orator, an impassioned abolitionist, and a representative of all who remained voiceless through slavery and oppression. His narrative resonates today with its eloquence, its incendiary history, and its profound and moving arguments for the humanity, and the equality, of Americans.

\The pre-eminent American slave narrative. Published in 1845, this autobiography powerfully details the life of the internationally famous abolitionist Frederick Douglass from his birth into slavery in 1818 to his escape to the North in 1838 - how he endured the daily physical and spiritual brutalities of his owners and drivers, how he learned to read and write, and how he grew into a man who could only live free or die. In his introduction, Houston A. Baker, Jr., discusses the slave narrative as a distinct American literary genre and points out its social, political, historical, and literary significance, past and present. Enriched eBook Features Editors Houston Baker and Derrick R. Spires provides the following specially commissioned features for this Enriched eBook Classic: • Chronology • Nineteenth-Century Reviews and Responses • Further Reading • Day in a Slave’s Life • Sorrow Songs and Sheet Music • “The Church and Prejudice” (1841) • Introduction to “Oration,” or “The Meaning of the Fourth of July for the Negro” • “The Meaning of the Fourth of July for the Negro” (1852) • Introduction to “The Heroic Slave” • “The Heroic Slave” (1853) • “My Escape from Slavery” (1881) • Douglass Sites to Visit in the United States • Portraits and Illustrations • Enriched eBook Notes The enriched eBook format invites readers to go beyond the pages of these beloved works and gain more insight into the life and times of an author and the period in which the book was originally written for a rich reading experience.

No book more vividly explains the horror of American slavery and the emotional impetus behind the antislavery movement than Frederick Douglass’s Narrative. In an introductory essay, Robert B. Stepto reexamines the extraordinary life and achievement of a man who escaped from slavery to become a leading abolitionist and one of our most important writers. The John Harvard Library text reproduces the first edition, published in Boston in 1845.

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass is a memoir and treatise on abolition written by famous orator and ex-slave, Frederick Douglass. It is generally held to be the most famous of a number of narratives written by former slaves during the same period. In factual detail, the text describes the events of his life and is considered to be one of the most influential pieces of literature to fuel the abolitionist movement of the early 19th century in the United States. Frederick Douglass was born in slavery as Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey near Easton in Talbot County, Maryland. He was not sure of the exact year of his birth, but he knew that it was 1817 or 1818. As a young boy he was sent to Baltimore, to be a house servant, where he learned to read and write, with the assistance of his master''s wife. In 1838 he escaped from slavery and went to New York City, where he married Anna Murray, a free colored woman whom he had met in Baltimore. Soon thereafter he changed his name to Frederick Douglass. In 1841 he addressed a convention of the Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society in Nantucket and so greatly impressed the group that they immediately employed him as an agent. He was such an impressive orator that numerous persons doubted if he had ever been a slave, so he wrote Narrative Of The Life of Frederick Douglass.

Frederick Douglass''s celebrated memoir is among the most influential works of the nineteenth-century abolitionist movement in the United States. Beginning with his birth on a Maryland plantation in 1818, Douglass''s account records the tyranny and brutality of his life in slavery until his ultimate escape to New Bedford, Massachusetts, at the age of twenty. Published in 1845--just seven years after his escape--Douglass''s narrative sold five thousand copies in its first four months in print. His story''s impact--then and now--makes Douglass a key figure in the fight for African American freedom and equality in the United States. Revised edition: Previously published as Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, this edition of Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass (AmazonClassics Edition) includes editorial revisions.

The illustrated version of America''s most famous autobiography. Famous orator and former slave Frederick Douglass wrote the Life and Times of Frederick Douglass, an 1845 memoir and treatise on the abolition of slavery. In describing the facts of his life in clear and concise prose, he fueled the abolitionist movement of the early nineteenth century in the United States. In this seminal work, Douglass details the cruelty of slave holders, how slaves were supposed to behave in the presence of their masters, the fear that kept many slaves where they were, and the punishments received by any slave who dared to tell the truth about their treatment. He learned to read and write while still a slave but also suffered at the hands of whites. He was starved, worked the fields until he collapsed, was beaten for collapsing, was jailed for two years after planning an escape attempt, and nearly lost his left eye in an attack while he was an apprentice in a shipyard. Douglass succeeded in escaping to the North and finding his own freedom but kept many details of his journey a secret to protect those who helped him and, hopefully, allow others to escape. Augmented by large sidebars written by soldiers, statesmen, and abolitionists from the antebellum period, as well as pieces by well-known historians and prominent African-Americans, and some new pieces by current historians and writers, this richly illustrated edition of this classic American autobiography sheds new light on Douglass''s famous text for a new generation of readers.

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass is an 1845 memoir and treatise on abolition written by famous orator and former slave Frederick Douglass. It is generally held to be the most famous of a number of narratives written by former slaves during the same period. In factual detail, the text describes the events of his life and is considered to be one of the most influential pieces of literature to fuel the abolitionist movement of the early 19th century in the United States. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass encompasses eleven chapters that recount Douglass''s life as a slave and his ambition to become a free man.

First published in 1845, the \"Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass\" is the memoir of former slave turned abolitionist, Frederick Douglass. Considered as one of the most famous of all the slave narratives...

\"My Bondage and My Freedom\" was one of several works written by Frederick Douglass in his lifetime and was published in 1855. This work is a powerful and revealing autobiography in which Douglass narrates his journey from slavery to freedom, offering an intimate and profound view of his life and the conditions faced by the enslaved in the United States. Over time, various biographies have been written and continue to be written about this iconic abolitionist, with increasing quality and scope. However, to understand the thoughts and character of a real person, there is nothing better than hearing the story with all its circumstances, mistakes, and successes told by the one who lived it firsthand. This is the purpose of Frederick Douglass''s autobiography. To bring to the public the courageous and visionary man who was born enslaved and, through his determination and intelligence, became one of the most influential and respected voices in the fight for the abolition of slavery and civil rights in the United States. This work is part of the \"Voices of America Autobiographies\" collection, which aims to highlight the life stories of important figures in American history, told by themselves.

Born into a family of slaves, Frederick Douglass educated himself through sheer determination. His unconquered will to triumph over his circumstances makes his one of America''s best and most unlikely success stories. Douglass'' own account of his journey from slave to one of America''s great statesmen, writers, and orators is as fascinating as it is inspiring.

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass is a memoir and treatise on abolition written by famous orator and ex-slave, Frederick Douglass. It is generally held to be the most famous of a number of narratives written by former slaves during the same period. In factual detail, the text describes the events of his life and is considered to be one of the most influential pieces of literature to fuel the abolitionist movement of the early 19th century in the United States.

Reprint of the original, first published in 1845.

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass is an 1845 memoir and treatise on abolition written by famous orator and former slave Frederick Douglass. It is generally held to be the most famous of a number of narratives written by former slaves during the same period. In factual detail, the text describes the events of his life and is considered to be one of the most influential pieces of literature to fuel the abolitionist movement of the early 19th century in the United States.Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass encompasses eleven chapters that recount Douglass''s life as a slave and his ambition to

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass is an 1845 memoir and treatise on abolition written by famous orator and former slave Frederick Douglass. It is generally held to be the most famous of a number of narratives written by former slaves during the same period. In factual detail, the text describes the events of his life and is considered to be one of the most influential pieces of literature to fuel the abolitionist movement of the early 19th century in the United States. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass encompasses eleven chapters that recount Douglass''s life as a slave and his ambition to become a free man.

This is the story of Frederick Douglass, who was born into slavery. He was hardly allowed to have any contact with his mother, Harriet Bailey. She died when he was about ten years old. He lived with his maternal grandmother, Betty Bailey. After a first attempt to escape failed, he borrowed a sailor''s letter of protection in 1838. With this he managed to escape to freedom; he went to New York. Both in the USA and in the wider English-speaking world, as well as on the European mainland, enormous importance was and is attached to the work. Gröls Classics - English Edition

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an 1845 memoir and treatise on abolition written by the famous orator and former slave Frederick Douglass. It is generally held to be the most famous of a number of narratives written by former slaves during the same period. In factual detail, the text describes the events of his life and is considered to be one of the most influential pieces of literature to fuel the abolitionist movement of the early 19th century in the United States. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass recounts Douglass'' life as a slave and his ambition to become a free man.

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass is an 1845 memoir and treatise on abolition written by famous orator and former slave Frederick Douglass during his time in Lynn, Massachusetts. It is generally held to be the most famous of a number of narratives written by former slaves during the same period. In factual detail, the text describes the events of his life and is considered to be one of the most influential pieces of literature to fuel the abolitionist movement of the early 19th century in the United States.Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass encompasses eleven chapters that recount Douglass''s life as a slave and his ambition to become a free man. It contains two introductions by well-known white abolitionists: a preface by William Lloyd Garrison, and a letter by Wendell Phillips, both arguing for the veracity of the account and the literacy of its author.

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass is an 1845 memoir and treatise on abolition written by famous orator and former slave Frederick Douglass during his time in Lynn, Massachusetts. It is generally held to be the most famous of a number of narratives written by former slaves during the same period. In factual detail, the text describes the events of his life and is considered to be one of the most influential pieces of literature to fuel the abolitionist movement of the early 19th century in the United States.Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass encompasses eleven chapters that recount Douglass''s life as a slave and his ambition to become a free man.Chapters 1-4Douglass begins by explaining that he does not know the date of his birth (he later chose February 14, 1818), and that his mother died when he was 7 years old. He has very few memories of her (children were commonly separated from their mothers), only of the rare night time visit. He thinks his father is a white man, possibly his owner. At a very early age he sees his Aunt Hester being whipped. Douglass details the cruel interaction that occurs between slaves and slave holders, as well as how slaves are supposed to behave in the presence of their masters, and even when Douglass says that fear is what kept many slaves where they were, when they tell the truth they are punished by their owners.Chapters 5-7At this point in the Narrative, Douglass is moved to Baltimore, Maryland. This move is rather important for him because he believes that if he had not been moved, he would have remained a slave his entire life. He even starts to have hope for a better life in the future. He also discusses his new mistress, Mrs. Sophia Auld, who begins as a very kind woman but eventually turns cruel. Douglass learns the alphabet and how to spell small words from this woman, but her husband, Mr. Auld, disapproves, and states that if slaves could read, they would not be fit to be slaves, being unmanageable and sad. Upon hearing why Mr. Auld disapproves of slaves being taught how to read, Douglass realizes the importance of reading and the possibilities that this skill could help him. He takes it upon himself to learn how to read and learn all he can, but at times, this new found skill torments him. Douglass then gains an understanding of the word abolition and develops the idea to run away to the North. He also learns how to write and how to read well.Chapters 8-9At the age of ten or eleven, Douglass''s master dies and his property is left to be divided between his son and daughter. The slaves are valued along with the livestock, causing Douglass to develop a new hatred of slavery. He feels lucky when he is sent back to Baltimore to live with the family of Master Hugh.He is then moved through a few more situations before he is sent to St. Michael''s. His regret at not having attempted to run away is evident, but on his voyage he makes a mental note that he traveled in the North-Easterly direction and considers this information to be of extreme importance. For some time, he lives with Master Thomas Auld who is particularly cruel, even after attending a Methodist camp. He is pleased when he eventually is lent to Mr. Covey for a year, simply because he would be fed. Mr. Covey is known as a \"negro-breaker\

Reproduction of the original.

Narrative Of The Life Of Frederick Douglass - Paperback Edition This moving autobiography is about Frederick Douglass, who after escaping from slavery in Maryland, became a national leader of the abolitionist movement in Massachusetts and New York, gaining note for his oratory and incisive antislavery writings. In his time, he was described by abolitionists as a living counter-example to slaveholders'' argume Northerners at the time found it hard to believe that such a great orator had once been a slave. Frederick wrote about his suffering as a slave. He is harshly whipped almost on a weekly basis, apparently due to his awkwardness. He is worked and beaten to exhaustion, which finally causes him to collapse one day while working in the fields. About Frederick Douglass Frederick Douglass was an American social reformer, abolitionist, orator, writer, and statesman. After escaping from slavery in Maryland, he became a national leader of the abolitionist movement in Massachusetts and New York, gaining note for his oratory and incisive antislavery writings. One of the more significant reasons Douglass published his Narrative was to offset the demeaning manner in which white people viewed him. When he spoke in public, his white abolitionist associates established limits to what he could say on the platform. More specifically, they did not want him to analyze the current slavery issues or to shape the future for black people. However, once Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass was published, he was given the liberty to begin more ambitious work on the issue rather than giving the same speeches repetitively. Because of the work in his Narrative, Douglass gained significant credibility from those who previously did not believe the story of his past. Wyhat ou get when you buy this edition of the Narrative Of The Life Of Frederick Douglass This edition of Narrative Of The Life Of Frederick Douglass is a 147 page long 9x6 trade paperback edition in white paper with brownish old paper alike matte cover, encompasses 11 chapters that recount Douglass''s life as a slave and his ambition to become a free man. Famous quotes from this edition of Narrative Of The Life Of Frederick Douglass \"Once you learn to read, you will be forever free.\" \"It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.\" \"Knowledge makes a man unfit to be a slave.\" A Reader''s take on this edition of Narrative Of The Life Of Frederick Douglass The Narrative of Frederick Douglas is a must read for all Americans to embrace OUR flawed but extraordinary history of the United States of America. Douglas is a pillar of the unwavering spirit to withstand atrocities, hardships and pain of life to overcome and succeed as one of the greatest Americans who has ever lived. Written in his own words (when teaching slaves to read and write was subject to sadistic punishment), this autobiography itself is a testament to Douglas'' courage. As a Black parent who read this book years ago, I made it required summer reading for my kids to read once they enter middle school. The graphic brutality is apparent where anger could easily overcome your emotions, but the short read allows you to experience the triumph of Douglas towards the conclusion of the book, making contemporary racial strife child''s play in comparison to his plight and yet Douglas overcame. This is not a black story but an American story that all people on the planet could benefit for it displays how human will and a enduring spirit can change things.