from my bondage and my freedom by frederick douglass

They decided that New York City was not a safe place for Frederick to remain as a fugitive, so they settled in New Bedford, Massachusetts. He had successfully escaped from slavery.Īfter escaping from slavery, Frederick married Anna. In less than 24 hours, Frederick arrived in New York City and declared himself free. On September 3, 1838, he disguised himself as a sailor and boarded a northbound train, using money from Anna to pay for his ticket. This time, Frederick met a young free black woman named Anna Murray, who agreed to help him escape. He educated other slaves, physically fought back against a 'slave-breaker,' and plotted an unsuccessful escape.įrustrated, his slaveowner returned him to Baltimore. When Frederick was fifteen, his slaveowner sent him back to the Eastern Shore to labor as a fieldhand.

It was a collection of revolutionary speeches, debates, and writings on natural rights.

At twelve, he bought a book called The Columbian Orator. Not allowed to attend school, he taught himself to read and write in the streets of Baltimore. When he turned eight years old, his slaveowner hired him out to work as a body servant in Baltimore.Īt an early age, Frederick realized there was a connection between literacy and freedom. He never discovered the identity of his father.

He barely knew his mother, who lived on a different plantation and died when he was a young child. Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey was born into slavery on the Eastern Shore of Maryland in February 1818.

From my bondage and my freedom by frederick douglass