1. All About
Frederick
Douglass

2. Hi! I’m Frederick Douglass!
I fought to end slavery.

3. I am known for using freedom
of expression to help gain freedom for African Americans As you learn more about my life, see if you can point out times that I use freedom of expression. First, let’s take a look at what that term means!

4. Do you remember the name of Frederick’s newspaper?
Frederick Douglass was a speaker and a writer. He started a newspaper called The North Star. The newspaper was a way to spread his ideas against slavery. Writing is a kind of expression. An expression is a way to communicate.
The word expression means
a way to communicate
Do you remember the name of Frederick’s newspaper?

5. What is an autobiography?
Frederick Douglass wrote an autobiography, the true story of a person’s life written by that person. This is another way that Frederick used writing as a way to express his beliefs. An expression is a way to communicate.
The word expression means
a way to communicate
What is an autobiography?

6. the right to express beliefs in speaking, writing,
Speaking and making art are other types of expression. Today, people in the United States have the freedom of expression. This means that people have the right to express beliefs in speaking, writing, music, or art.
the term freedom of expression means
the right to express beliefs in speaking, writing,
music, or art.

7. Why do you think free speech is important?
“To suppress free speech is a double wrong. It violates the rights of the hearer as well as those of the speaker.”
- Frederick Douglass
Why do you think free speech is important?

8. the right to express beliefs in speaking, writing,
Frederick also gave speeches against slavery. He wanted people to know how enslaved people lived. Do you think there were people who did not want Frederick to have freedom of expression? Who, and why would they be against Frederick’s freedom of expression?
the term freedom of expression means
the right to express beliefs in speaking, writing,
music, or art.

10. Author Unknown

11. EQ: Who was Frederick Douglass?
Frederick Douglass was born in Maryland in 1818.

12. EQ: Who was Frederick Douglass?
Frederick was born into slavery on a farm in Maryland. A slave is someone who is owned by another person.

13. EQ: Who was Frederick Douglass?
He was separated from his mother when he was an infant. He only saw her four or five times in his life.

14. EQ: Who was Frederick Douglass?
In his autobiography "Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave”, he writes about his mother:
“My mother and I were separated when I was but an infant.... It [was] common custom, in the part of Maryland from which I ran away, to part children from their mothers at a very early age.”
"I do not recollect ever seeing my mother by the light of day. ... She would lie down with me, and get me to sleep, but long before I waked she was gone."

15. EQ: Who was Frederick Douglass?
Frederick’s mother died when he was ten. He lived with his grandmother until he was separated from her when he was sold to work at a different plantation.

16. EQ: Who was Frederick Douglass?
Frederick’s life was very different from our life today. African Americans were slaves. They were considered to be property.

17. EQ: Who was Frederick Douglass?
Slaves could be bought or sold. Slavery is the practice of forcing people to work for no pay and taking away their freedom.

18. EQ: Who was Frederick Douglass ?
A slave is someone who is owned by someone else. This means they can be bought and sold in the same way a horse or car is sold.

19. EQ: Who was Frederick Douglass ?
It also means that slave owners had the right to mistreat or hurt African-Americans because they owned them. Often children and parents were sold to different slave owners and never saw each other again.

20. EQ: Who was Frederick Douglass ?
Some of the slave masters were extremely cruel to the slaves. They could murder a slave and there would be no consequences. It was not considered a crime either by the courts or the community.

21. EQ: Who was Frederick Douglass?
Slaves were also not given basic needs such as food. Cornmeal was boiled to make a mush then put into troughs and set down on the ground. The feeding of the slave children was similar to the feeding of pigs.

22. EQ: Who was Frederick Douglass ?
When he was seven or eight years old Frederick went to Baltimore to the home of Mr. and Mrs. Auld.
Mrs. Auld taught Frederick his ABCs and how to read. Mr. Auld did not like Frederick learning to read and soon put a stop to Mrs. Auld teaching him. It was against the law to teach a slave to read.

23. EQ: Who was Frederick Douglass?
Frederick was determined to be free. He tried to escape, but was unsuccessful and thrown in jail. On September 3, 1838, Douglass successfully escaped by dressing like a sailor. He went by steamboat along the Delaware River to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

24. EQ: Who was Frederick Douglass?
Frederick started attending abolitionist meetings. An abolitionist is someone who was against slavery and worked to end it. When Frederick was 23 years old, he was asked to speak and share his story. Frederick was nervous at first, but he overcame his nervousness to give an eloquent speech.

25. EQ: Who was Frederick Douglass?
Frederick spent six months traveling around the Midwest giving speeches against slavery. It was very dangerous for Frederick to share his story because many people still wanted slavery. They did not like abolitionists. One time when Frederick was in Indiana, an angry mob attacked him. His hand was broken and continued to bother him the rest of his life.

26. EQ: Who was Frederick Douglass?
Frederick Douglass wrote an autobiography. An autobiography is the true story of a person’s life written by that person. His autobiography, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, was published in 1845 and became a best seller.

27. EQ: Who was Frederick Douglass?
After his book was published, he left the country for a time fearing his old master would try to get him back. He went to Ireland and spent two years in Great Britain. Friends in England raised money to purchase his freedom from Mr. Auld.

28. EQ: Who was Frederick Douglass?
After returning to America he began to publish an abolitionist newspaper called The North Star. Within eight years he had 3,000 subscribers. Frederick used the newspaper to express anti-slavery ideas.

29. EQ: Who was Frederick Douglass ?
Abraham Lincoln became the 16th President of the United States in The southern states were angry because they still wanted slavery and they knew that Lincoln was against it. Some states were so angry that they formed a new country called the Confederacy.

30. EQ: Who was Frederick Douglass?
Five weeks later the Civil War began. It was a war between the North and the South. The South wanted to keep slavery and the North wanted to abolish slavery.

31. The Civil War was between the North and South
The Civil War was between the North and South. The war lasted four years.

32. EQ: Who was Frederick Douglass?
On January 1, 1863 President Abe Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. This was an order that freed the slaves in the Confederate States.

33. EQ: Who was Frederick Douglass?
Although not all the slaves were immediately set free, the Emancipation Proclamation paved the way for the 13th Amendment which would free all slaves in the United States a few years later.

34. EQ: Who was Frederick Douglass?
It is also important to remember that African-Americans were not automatically treated fairly just because it was no longer legal to own slaves. It would take many years and other brave people to change unfair laws and treatment of African-Americans.

35. EQ: Who was Frederick Douglass?
Frederick died on February 20, 1895 in Washington D.C. He is remembered as a great orator and writer who helped the abolitionist movement.

36. EQ: How does our life compare
and contrast to Frederick Douglass’ life?
Think about your life today and Douglass life.
How are things in your life different from Douglass’ life?
How are things the same?

37. EQ: How does our life compare
and contrast to Frederick Douglass’ life?
Here are some things to think about:
communication
homes
transportation
hobbies
rights and freedoms
food
clothing

38. EQ: What locations are significant
to Frederick Douglass ?
Frederick Douglass traveled to many different places! Let’s see if we can find some of the important places he went.

39. EQ: What locations are significant to Frederick Douglass?
Let’s use a map to find some of
the places that are important to Frederick Douglass!
EQ: What locations
are significant
to Frederick Douglass?

49. EQ: How can I put events in order? Complete the timeline on Douglass.
Cut out the events, place them in order, check your answers, then glue the events to the timeline.

53. EQ: What character traits describe
Frederick Douglass?
courage is the ability to do something that you know is difficult or dangerous

54. EQ: What character traits describe
Frederick Douglass?
determination is continuing to try to do or achieve something that is difficult

55. EQ: What character traits describe
Frederick Douglass?
equality the belief that all people should be treated the same or have the same opportunities

56. diligence steady, earnest, and energetic effort to accomplish a task
EQ: What character traits describe
Frederick Douglass?
diligence steady, earnest, and energetic effort to accomplish a task

57. leadership a person who rules, guides, or inspires others
EQ: What character traits describe
Frederick Douglass?
leadership a person who rules, guides, or inspires others

58. the right to express beliefs in speaking, writing,
EQ: What character traits describe
Frederick Douglass?
freedom of expression
the right to express beliefs in speaking, writing,
music, or art.

59. EQ: What character traits describe Frederick Douglass?
Complete the adjective bubble map on Frederick.
Write character traits and adjectives in the bubbles to describe Frederick Douglass.

61. We have learned many important facts about
EQ: What are the most important facts
about Frederick Douglass?
We have learned many important facts about
Frederick Douglass!

62. EQ: What are the most important facts about Frederick Douglass?
We learned that he was born a slave in Maryland in He is known for wanting freedom of expression. That means he believed in the right to express beliefs in speaking, writing,
music, or art. Frederick escaped slavery by pretending to be a sailor.

63. EQ: What are the most important facts about Frederick Douglass?
Frederick Douglass was an abolitionist. An abolitionist was someone who wanted to get rid of slavery. Frederick wrote about what it was like to be a slave in his autobiography. He also started an anti-slavery newspaper called The North Star. Frederick traveled to many places giving speeches against slavery. The Emancipation Proclamation ended slavery in the United States, but African Americans were still not treated equally.