Frederick Douglass matured from a childhood of hardship and slavery to become a prominent abolitionist and a respected writer and orator who spoke out to demand freedom and equality for African Americans. He was one of the brightest examples of what the strength of the true African American spirit. Unfortunately, his childhood labors were not unique but his outlook on life was definitely rare to come across.
Frederick Douglass was born Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey, a slave on a farm in Maryland. His mother was a field hand on a different plantation several miles away, so he saw little of her as a young child. She died when he was only about eight years old. Young Frederick never knew his father. He, like the other slave children, was often treated badly, trying to get by without enough food or warm clothing. Many of his family members were "sold south" during his childhood, and he never saw them again, but he had an aunt and uncle who escaped to freedom, which allowed him to know at a young age that such a thing was possible.
Mr. Douglass' legacy is interpreted differently among the African American community. Most see him as a true hero but some can only focus on his "non-black" characteristics. For example: recruiting blacks to fight in the war, working closely with the current president of the day, and wedding to a white woman. However, when contemplating the problems of the African American community today and closely reviewing the details of Douglass' life, one can hardly help but to think; "how the heck did he accomplish so much". In order to understand what a great man he was, you must digest and understand the situation that this African man had to live through.
In 1825 Frederick was sent to Baltimore to be a houseboy for the Auld family. His duties included taking care of the baby. Mrs. Sophia Auld liked the little boy and began to teach him how to read and write. By the time her husband found out and stopped her, young Frederick had advanced enough to continue to learn on his own. In 1832 Frederick's "owner," Aaron Anthony, died, and he was passed along to a different relative, Thomas Auld. This owner felt the teenage Frederick was not subservient enough, and so sent him to work for another farmer, named Edward Covey, who was known as a "slave breaker." Covey's tactics consisted of administering numerous whippings until slaves gave up on trying to stand up for themselves. Young Frederick received many beatings until one day, at the age of sixteen, he fought Covey back with a vengeance. They fought for several hours until Covey gave up. He may have been somewhat embarrassed to have been bested by such a youngster, because he told Frederick that if he hadn't put up such a fight his punishment would have been less severe--but Douglass wrote later that he had not been hurt in this incident at all. Soon after, he was removed from Covey and was sent to Baltimore again, this time to be hired out as a caulker, working in the shipyards.
In Baltimore he met and fell in love with Anna Murray, a free Black woman, who encouraged him to try to gain his freedom. In September, 1838, assisted by a free Black sailor who lent him his papers and uniform, Frederick Bailey escaped from slavery and went to New York City. An abolitionist named David Ruggles gave him a place to stay and Frederick Bailey changed his name to Douglass, after a character in a book Ruggles was reading. He married Anna Murray and they moved to Massachusetts.
From this point Frederick went on to take part in his work as an abolitionist but it was his unwavering spirit as a child that saved him and probably a lot of others, in the future, as well.
His childhood experiences are worth considering in order to appreciate the power of this man's soul. His formal education only consisted of learning the ABCs. The rest came to him through his sheer will and passion to strive for more.
Some of his childhood experiences included:
1. Being separated from his mother. He has vague memories of her visiting him, but when he hears news of her death, he states that "he greeted it as if hearing news of the death of a stranger."
2. He first witnesses the violence of slavery when he witnesses his Aunt Hester being savagely beaten by Mr. Plummer. Hester had been visiting another slave, and Plummer was sexually jealous of her being with another man.
3. Douglass remembers the songs of the slaves. He insists that they always filled him with sadness, and that the ignorant masters thought that since the slaves were singing, they were happy. This is not the case.
4. Douglass remembers another slave being shot in cold blood. The overseer commands the slave to come to him, and when the slave does not come to him on the count of three, the overseer (Mr. Gore) shoots the man dead.
5. When Douglass is sent to stay with the Aulds, Sophia is at first kind to him. She starts to teach him how to read. Mr. Auld puts a stop to the lessons. This is when Douglass realizes the importance of being able to read and decides to do so at all costs. Mrs. Auld becomes twisted and hateful; she was initially a kind Christian woman. Douglass uses her as an example of how slavery corrupts the slave owners as well.
Imagine what it took for him to get up everyday and work towards becoming a better and more well-rounded person.
About the Author:
Community Journalist
The Childhood of Frederick Douglass
