Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave

Frederick Douglass (1818-1895)

Original en 40638 words First published 1845 United States

Frederick Douglass's account of his own life, published in 1845 while he was still a fugitive — and such an indictment that friends feared it would give him away. Born into slavery in Maryland, he never knew his birthday; he watched an aunt whipped, learned to read from the wife of a Baltimore shipwright, bartered bread for letters with boys in the street, and at sixteen fought back against a 'slave-breaker' and never submitted again. To prove his authorship he had to name names, which meant admitting he had escaped less than seven years earlier — the very facts that put him at risk.

Text sourced from Project Gutenberg (public domain in the United States); the Project Gutenberg trademark and license text have been removed on import. Public-domain status determined by the author's death year + 50 years rule.

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave

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