"What is possible for me is possible for you."*

Magnet #522 - Frederick Douglass, 1818-1895

Born Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey on Maryland's Eastern Shore, Frederic Douglass was the son of a slave woman and, presumably, her white master. He learned how to read and write, which, if you think about it was nothing short of a miracle, particularly after enduring years of slavery, and being shuttled from one household to another.

He escaped when he was 20, and ended up in Connecticut, with his new wife and a new surname, one that he took from Sir Walter Scott's The Lady of the Lake.

It was in Connecticut and Massachusetts that he was able to begin telling his story to those who would listen, attending abolitionist meetings and anti-slavery conventions, and eventually becoming a world-renown public speaker, and writer. He eventually became editor of some of the most influential Negro newspapers, such as the North Star and the Douglass Monthly. On top of that, he also became trusted adviser to Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War, and held a couple of different posts thereafter.

As if that wasn't enough, he also became a friend and defender for women's rights - that's why I really love this statue in Rochester of he and Susan B. Anthony having tea in the park. Hee. There's something funny about the two luminaries sitting down for tea - whether they actually did take tea together is something I probably would have learned, had we actually been able to drop by the Susan B. Anthony house. But we didn't. But, it's on the list for next time I visit Rochester.

A friend of mine gave me this magnet, I think just to see if I'd actually do the research and blog on Mr. Douglass. Heh, well of course, I would. But, I figured today was a good day - if the records are to be believed, today in 1868, the 14th Amendment was ratified, establishing citizenship of African Americans.

Mind you, this minimagnetbio is as bare bones as you can possibly be, given Douglass' stature of one of the most influential Americans ever. So, definitely check out a few of those sites to learn more.

*Frederick Douglass, to a class of African American students in Maryland