Fredrick Douglass had gone through enslavement since birth which led to restlessness. His master was treating him as a slave and this made Douglass look for ways of escaping for freedom. He got an opportunity when the boss traveled to purchase his spring goods (Douglass & Jacobs, 2000).
Douglass discovered William Lloyd Garrison’s abolitionist newspaper and got inspired by it. He attended a Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society convention in Nantucket and was recruited as an agent to the group (Douglass & Jacobs, 2000). Douglass got an opportunity to travel across the country promoting abolition and other agenda about the organization.
Douglass escaped from slavery and ran from Baltimore to New York. He was aided by the sailing skills he had gained from forced work in the shipyards (Douglass & Jacobs, 2000). He borrowed Seaman’s Protection Certificate that proved him to be a US citizen sailor.
The establishment of an influential antislavery newspaper in 1847 known as ‘The North Star’ circulated in the US, Europe, and the West Indies. Douglass published autobiographies providing details about his transition from bondage to liberty (Douglass & Jacobs, 2000). He wanted to spread the anti-slavery sentiment that made him be regarded among the best-written accounts of slave tradition.
New York was a dangerous place to stay seeking freedom. Locals would report to the authorities about the enslaved people and therefore, Douglass had to move to New Bedford together with his wife Anna Murray whom he had married in Holy matrimony in the presence of Mr. David Ruggles and Mrs. Michaels (Douglass & Jacobs, 2000).
Douglass felt himself a slave and the idea of speaking to white people demoralized him. During his speeches, he could talk but a few moments later he would gain the freedom spirit and say what he desired with ease. Until his death, Douglass engaged in pleading for equity and social justice and fueled for the anti-slavery movement (Douglass & Jacobs, 2000).
Reference
Douglass, F., & Jacobs, H. (2000). Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass, an American slave & incidents in the life of a slave girl. Modern Library.