How does frederick douglass escape

Douglass founded the newspaper The North Star which advocated full rights for all, and he became a conductor on the Underground Railroad. In , Douglass would participate in the famous Seneca Falls convention, a meeting that called for women's equality before the law.

He would continue to advocate for women's equality throughout his life. The Civil War did not end Douglass's work. During the war, he continued to advocate for freedom and equality:. What business, then, have we to fight for the old Union? We are not fighting for it. We are fighting for something incomparably better than the old Union. We are fighting for unity; unity of idea, unity of sentiment, unity of object, unity of institutions, in which there shall be no North, no South, no East, no West, no black, no white, but a solidarity of the nation, making every slave free, and every free man a voter.

The war did not accomplish that unity, so Douglass continued to fight until the end of his life. He said, "Verily, the work does not end with the abolition of slavery, but only begins. He first settled in Capitol Hill, in the southeast of the district. In , Douglass purchased his final home, Cedar Hill, in Anacostia, also in the southeast of the district. A newspaper described his house in the following way:.

The residence of Mr. Douglass is in Uniontown, across the Eastern branch. No idea of the place can be given in a small picture. The grounds are fifteen acres in extent, and the house is surrounded by cedars, oaks and hickories and is almost hidden from the street.

The building is of brick, two stories, high, in cottage style of architecture, and is very large, having eighteen rooms. A portico runs across the front and the main door is in the centre. The parlors are on each side of the hall.

The house is very handsomely furnished and has the appearance of being the home of a cultured, refined gentleman. The library is in the rear of the east parlor. The books number about two thousand volumes and are very valuable. They cover history, poetry, philosophy, theology and fiction…it is a great pleasure to think that this man, whose intellect and energy have been his only capital, is now living in refined opulence instead of suffering in bondage as the property of ignorance, idleness and superstition.

Cedar Hill became the headquarters for Douglass's advocacy work. It was also the final home for both himself and his first wife Anna who passed away in In , Douglass married Helen Pitts, a white women's rights activist and the daughter of abolitionists. Douglass ran and owned the New National Era, a paper "devoted to the defence [sic] and enlightenment of the newly emancipated and enfranchised people.

In , Douglass gave the following speech on the 24th anniversary of emancipation in Washington, DC:. The American people have this lesson to learn: That where justice is denied, where poverty is enforced, where ignorance prevails, and where any one class is made to feel that society is an organized conspiracy to oppress, rob, and degrade them, neither persons nor property will be safe. Douglass became the first African American appointed to various positions in the government marshal, recorder of deeds, and minister.

Despite the legal recognition given to African American men, Douglass continued to face prejudice based on his race. He wrote about the reaction to his appointment as a U. Marshal of the District of Columbia:.

It came upon the people of the District as a gross surprise, and almost a punishment; and provoked something like a scream—I will not say a yell—of popular displeasure. As soon as I was named by President Hayes for the place, efforts were made by members of the bar to defeat my confirmation before the Senate. All sorts of reasons against my appointment, but the true one, were given, and that was withheld more from a sense of shame, than from a sense of justice.

Douglass did not allow prejudice to hold him back. He continued speaking out until the day of his death. The New York Times wrote the following in his obituary, "Mr. Douglass, perhaps more than any other man of his race, was instrumental in advancing the work of banishing the color line. The purpose of this organization was to preserve Frederick's home and materials after her death for all Americans.

The National Park Service acquired the house in , and it became a national historic site open to the public. Questions for Reading 4 1. Why was Rochester a significant place for Douglass to live?

What important events took place there? When did Douglass move to Washington, DC? When did he move into Cedar Hill? Does the newspaper description of his house surprise you? Why do you think the author chose to talk about Douglass's library? What does the response to Douglass's appointment as a U. Does this reaction seem right? Did Douglass think abolition would fix the challenges African Americans faced? What problems would there be after slavery was abolished?

Do you think Douglass was one of the great men of the nineteenth century, white or black? Would you be proud or scared? Do you think this is the best way to describe Douglass's and other freedom seekers' experiences?

This house has been compared to a seven-part Roman Country House, which was the type of home owned by wealthy Romans during the classical period. Does this look like a large or complex house to you?

Window glass was expensive in the 19th century. What does the number of windows tell you about the owner? Who might have done the work? Refer back to Reading 1 if necessary. Compare the Johnson House with Cedar Hill.

What are the similarities and differences among all these houses? At the different points in his life, how would each house have been appealing to Douglass? Explain your answer. By looking at "Journey from Slavery to Statesman:" The Homes of Frederick Douglass , students can more easily understand the various experiences of being an African American from the early to the late 19th century. The following activities will provide students with an opportunity to better comprehend the different experiences of enslavement and freedom and the lingering prejudices that remained after the Civil War.

It portrayed the horrors of slavery in evocative language, in a manner not expected from a newly freed man. It starts from his birth and continues through his escape to a new life. His autobiographies emphasize the American values of hard work, education, and freedom.

His long life encompassed slavery, the Civil War, and the difficult years after the Civil War when it was clear that African Americans were second-class citizens.

Parts of the readings in this lesson plan come from his autobiographies. Have students read a chapter or two from one of Douglass's autobiographies these can be found online through a variety of sources. Then ask students to write a couple pages of their own autobiographies. First, have each student create a timeline of important events in his or her life.

Next, have them think about what values are important to them in their lives. What values do they think they represent? What events in the community and in the world coincided with the important events in their lives? If possible, have students interview an author in the community to learn about the skills needed to write a book. Ask students to read their autobiographies to the class.

Hold a class discussion about how events classmates have shared have had similar or different meaning among the students. He taught himself by reading a book of speeches, the Columbian Orator , over and over again.

He practiced whenever he could once he lived in Baltimore and could come and go from his caretaker's house. He continued to practice when he lived in New Bedford. He was asked to go to Nantucket to talk about his experiences of slavery. It was his first abolitionist speech, but it so impressed the audience that he was offered a job as a traveling orator.

Have students learn part of a Frederick Douglass speech and recite it in class. Ask students to choose their favorite excerpt and explain why. Next, have students think about an event in their life that made a difference to them and write a short speech about why it was important. Have students deliver the speech to their classmates as if they do not have shared experiences.

When choosing an event, students should provide context for their experience. Based on the scale of the event, students should explain what was going on in the community at the time local, state, national, international. What external factors influenced their experience?

What internal factors influenced their experience? How did the event make them feel? Were those feelings shared in the community? Was there anything that made their experience unique? Once everyone has presented, hold a class discussion highlighting how people can experience similar things in different ways based on various factors.

Activity 3: Traveling the Underground Railroad To present students with a more personal understanding of the Underground Railroad, divide them into groups to read one of the slave narratives listed below. Have groups divide up the reading. As students read, have them trace the route that the freedom seeker took.

Have students compare the maps from different slave narratives. How did the freedom seekers show resourcefulness and courage?

Did anyone help him or her? Who was it? What became of the freedom seekers after the Civil War? Are their homes preserved or is there a marker or statue by which to remember them? If there is not a marker, what would you put on a historic marker or statue to commemorate this person? Where would you place it? Have students create an exhibit using the information found in the slave narrative. Activity 3. Chapter Two: Spirituals, Myth, and the Reality Behind the Song In chapter two of his narrative, Douglass notes the many deprivations slaves experienced, including lack of sufficient food, bedding, rest, and clothing.

Captain Lloyd's plantation was called the "Great House Farm" by all of the slaves, and the slaves viewed the Great House Farm as the most desirable place to live, work, or visit: "Few privileges were esteemed higher, by the slaves of the out-farms, than that of being selected to do errands at the Great House Farm.

It was associated in their minds with greatness. A representative could not be prouder of his election to a seat in the American Congress, than a slave on one of the out-farms would be of his election to do errands at the Great House Farm. The class should then read aloud the next paragraph in which Douglass introduces the spirituals, or songs, that the slaves would sing on their way to the Great House: "The slaves selected to go to the Great House Farm, for the monthly allowance for themselves and their fellow-slaves, were peculiarly enthusiastic.

While on their way, they would make the dense old woods, for miles around, reverberate with their wild songs, revealing at once the highest joy and the deepest sadness. They would compose and sing as they went along, consulting neither time nor tune.

The thought that came up, came out-if not in the word, in the sound;--and as frequently in the one as in the other. They would sometimes sing the most pathetic sentiment in the most rapturous tone, and the most rapturous sentiment in the most pathetic tone. Into all of their songs they would manage to weave something of the Great House Farm.

Especially would they do this, when leaving home. They would then sing most exultingly the following words: 'I am going away to the Great House Farm! O, yea! I have sometimes thought that the mere hearing of those songs would do more to impress some minds with the horrible character of slavery, than the reading of whole volumes of philosophy on the subject would do.

What seems to be the tone of the spiritual "Great House Farm"? For what might the phrase "Great House" be a metaphor? Consider the context of the song and evaluate the denotation and connotation of "Great House.

What might "home" denote and connote in this song? Have a student read aloud the passage; afterwards have the class state what the spirituals represent to Douglass. The class should consider the following questions: Upon reflection, what does Douglass realize about why slaves sang spirituals and about the basic purpose of the spirituals? Which of Douglass's descriptive words or phrases in the passage show the extent to which he deplores slavery?

Which rhetorical appeals does Douglass use and to what effect? I was myself within the circle, so that I neither saw nor heard as those without might see and hear.

They told a tale of woe which was then altogether beyond my feeble comprehension; they were tones loud, long, and deep; they breathed the prayer and complaint of souls boiling over with the bitterest anguish. Every tone was a testimony against slavery, and a prayer to God for deliverance from chains. The hearing of those wild notes always depressed my spirit, and filled me with ineffable sadness. I have frequently found myself in tears while hearing them. To those songs I trace my first glimmering conception of the dehumanizing character of slavery.

I can never get rid of that conception. Those songs still follow me, to deepen my hatred of slavery, and quicken my sympathies for my brethren in bonds. If any one wishes to be impressed with the soul-killing effects of slavery, let him go to Colonel Lloyd's plantation, and, on allowance-day, place himself in the deep pine woods, and there let him, in silence, analyze the sounds that shall pass through the chambers of his soul,—and if he is not thus impressed, it will only be because 'there is no flesh in his obdurate heart.

How does Douglass dismiss the misconception that a singing slave is necessarily a content and happy slave? Indeed, on reaching the North, Douglass was extremely happy to find work for himself although he was unable to work in his chosen profession caulking because of racism. Douglass is much less critical and forthcoming about racism in the North at least in this first version of his autobiography. There are several obvious explanations for this.

First, he was still intoxicated with freedom in the North and any racism he experienced there would have been minor compared to what he underwent in the South. Second, he did not want to alienate his Northern hosts; as a fugitive, he certainly would not have wanted to confront racist Northerners who could inform slave hunters of his whereabouts. The power of slave hunters in the free states was a contentious issue for many years.

Later, the Fugitive Slave Act of would legitimize fugitive slave hunting in free states. Money became a necessary key for freedom, a key as important as knowledge, for Douglass needed money to buy his passage to New York. He learned that a free market system indeed produces more wealth in the North. The white and black workers there were healthier, happier, and more prosperous than those in the South.

Northern living conditions were better and the free market was simply a more efficient process. Machinery had replaced slave labor. Douglass heartily embraces the kind of capitalism he has seen in the North. He explains, however, that the chapter does not describe the exact means of his escape, as he does not want to give slaveholders any information that would help them prevent other slaves from escaping to the North.

In fact, Douglass hopes slaveholders will become frantic with thoughts of unseen foes around them, ready to snatch their slaves away from them or hinder them in their quest to reclaim their slaves.

Douglass resumes his narrative in the spring of , when he begins to object to turning over all his wages to Hugh Auld. Auld appears to sense this unfairness and tries to remedy his guilt by giving Douglass small portions of the money. Thomas Auld visits Baltimore, and Douglass approaches him asking to be allowed to seek work on his own.

Thomas Auld refuses him, assuming that Douglass intends to escape. Two months later, Douglass asks the same of Hugh Auld, who agrees, with the stipulation that Douglass must find all his own work and pay Auld three dollars each week to buy his own tools, board, and clothing.