Frederick Douglass Essay

Submitted By Alyssa-Lacoy
Words: 623
Pages: 3

Frederick Douglass
Born: February, 1818 in Talbot County, Maryland
Died: February 20, 1895
Frederick Douglass was born into slavery on a plantation in Maryland. There, he encountered the brutalities of slavery firsthand. In 1838, after escaping from slavery, Douglass became a major advocate against the evils of slavery. He spoke forcefully against the arguments that slaves did not possess a great enough intellectual capacity to function as individual citizens. His eloquent words left people in awe that he could have ever once been a slave. He described his experiences in several works including “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave,” “My Bondage and My Freedom,” and “Life and Times of Frederick Douglass.” He was a firm believer in equality for all of humanity, and pushed strongly against what he considered severe wrongdoings.

William Lloyd Garrison
Born: December 12, 1805 in Newburyport, Massachusetts
Died: May 24, 1879
William Lloyd Garrison was a highly prominent abolitionist around the time of the Civil War. He was a journalist who was best known for being the editor of the highly controversial abolitionist newspaper titled “The Liberator.” In addition, he was one of the founders of the American Anti-Slavery Society. He called for the immediate emancipation of slaves within the United States and voiced this opinion most publicly.

Sojourner Truth
Born: 1797 in Swartekill, New York
Died: November 26, 1883
Sojourner Truth was a highly significant component to the abolitionist movement. She was a strong willed woman who escaped to freedom from slavery in 1826. She went to court to recover her son, and was one of the first African American women to win such a case. She was known best for her speech “Ain’t I a Woman?,” which was delivered at the Ohio Women’s Rights Convention in 1851. Additionally, throughout the Civil War, she helped to recruit African American troops for the Union Army.

Harriet Tubman
Born: March, 1822 in Dorchester County, Maryland
Died: March 10, 1913
Born into slavery, Harriet Tubman escaped at a young age and dedicated the rest of her life to abolitionism and humanitarianism. She returned to the south over thirteen times to rescue countless enslaved people using a network known as the Underground Railroad. She later advocated for women’s rights and helped John Brown recruit men for his raid on Harper’s Ferry. She later became a Union Spy during the Civil War.

John Brown
Born: May 9, 1800 in Torrington, Connecticut
Died: December 2, 1859
John Brown was