By: Erica Schwoegl

Who Was Fredrick Douglass? Fredrick Douglass was born in Fredrick Agustus Washington Baily, in Talbot County, on Maryland’s Eastern Shore in Douglass was born into slavery. Used to be named Fredrick Baily but changed him name to Fredrick Douglass after he managed to escape from slavery.

The Escape Douglass escaped from slavery when he was 20 years old. He managed to do this by disguising himself as a sailor. Then boarding the train he claimed to not have certain papers with him. The conductor looked over the papers allowing him on the train. If the conductor were to take a closer look at the papers there is no way he could have been able to board the train to escape.

After He Was Free First He moved to New York Next after Douglass escaped he changed his name for safety from Fredrick Baily to Fredrick Douglass. He lived on speaking to schools about his escape. He spoke to students at Talbot County about his escape and stated “what is possible for me is possible for you.”

Three Keys to Success 1. Believe in yourself. 2. Take advantage of every opportunity. 3. Use the power of spoken and written language to effect positive change for yourself and society.

Other Achievements Douglass did not stop there he later became the first African American citizen to get high rank in the U.S. government. He started printing the “North Star.” Douglass was a supporter of women’s rights. He helped in the Underground Railroad. Later even became President of the Freeman’s Saving and Trust

MOST IMPORTANT FACT Although Fredrick did so many great things him escaping form slavery made them all possible. Escaping was a great risk to take, especially considering the consequence if he got caught. Him doing this also later on allowed him to have a happy, free family.