The Life of Frederick Douglass for Kids| Learn Facts About Frederick Douglass | Black History Month

In this kids learning video children will learn facts about Frederick Douglass.
Throughout the video during Black History Month students will be able to see different pictures taken throughout his life.
Frederick Douglass was born near Hillsboro, Maryland, in February of 1818.
He had a white father and a slave mother.
He was born into slavery and was separated from his mother when he was a baby.
Douglass never knew his father and was moved to different residences throughout Maryland during his childhood.
At the age of 12, Frederick began receiving reading lessons from the wife of his “master,” even though it was illegal to teach slaves to read. Frederick proved to be a quick study and was soon reading newspapers, magazines, and books.
Through his reading of political journals, Frederick realized the horrors of slavery.
He began to form views on human rights and how people should be treated. He also taught other slaves how to read, but this eventually got him into trouble.
He was moved to another farm where he was beaten by the slave owner in an effort to break his spirit. However, this only strengthened Douglass' resolve to gain his freedom.
In 1838, Douglass carefully planned his escape. He disguised himself as a sailor and carried papers that showed he was a free black seaman. On September 3, 1838 he boarded a train to the north. After 24 hours of travel, Douglass arrived in New York a free man. It was at this point that he married his first wife, Anna Murray, and took the last name Douglass. Douglas and Anna settled down in New Bedford, Massachusetts.
At the age of 23, Frederick Douglass attended an abolitionist convention. Someone there asked him to give an speech about his life as a slave. He did so brilliantly.
His appearance and bearing was that of a highly intelligent man. He spoke clearly, with dignity and power.
Everything about him denied and made ridiculous the proslavery position that somehow African Americans were subservient to whites and were happiest when serving their white masters.
As a result, Frederick Douglass was offered a full-time job as a lecturer for the Anti-Slavery Society.
A few years later, in 1845, Frederick Douglass published a book, his autobiography.
He wrote about his life as a slave and named his master in Baltimore. To avoid being captured by slave catchers, Douglass went on a two year speaking tour in Great Britain.
Many people in Britain were impressed by Douglass. They raised the money he needed to buy his freedom from slavery. In 1847, he returned to America as a free man.
When he returned to America, Douglass published The North Star and four other abolitionist newspapers
As his reputation grew, Douglass became an advisor to Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson.
During the Civil War-which erupted in 1861 over the issue of slavery- black soldiers were given lesser pay and non-equal treatment. Douglass met with Lincoln to advocate on behalf of the soldiers.
Douglass had two sons who served in the Army and he actively recruited African Americans to fight in the Civil War. Douglass, along with many others, spoke out for equal citizenship and the emancipation (freeing) of all slaves.
After the war, Douglass fought for the 13th Amendment (which abolished slavery), the 14th Amendment (which granted citizenship to those born in the United States as slaves) and the 15th Amendment (which granted voting rights to men of all color-women would not gain the right to vote until the 19th Amendment in 1920).
Sadly, Douglass’ beloved wife Anna died in 1881 of a stroke. Several years later, Douglass remarried activist Helen Pitts. Helen was white, and their interracial marriage was widely criticized. Undeterred, Douglass and Helen continued traveling and advocating on behalf of equality and justice everywhere.
Frederick Douglass died of a heart attack in 1895, at the age of 77, but his work to help the Anti Slavery movement has not been forgotten and it never will.
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