Frederick Douglass and His Impact Essay Sample

Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey Douglass was an American abolitionist who fought for Equal Rights. He is considered one of the greatest abolitionists during the time period of slavery and racism. Douglass helped end discrimination by helping people who were traveling North with the help of the underground railroad, fought a ‘slavebreaker’, and published his own newspaper.

UNDERGROUND RAILROAD

Before Frederick Douglass was helping people become free, he himself was a slave. In 1838, Douglass was able to escape slavery by dressing up as a sailor. His future wife, Anna Murray and one of his sailor friends also contributed to his escape. After he landed in Manhattan, he began to start his work in the Underground Railroad. He also educated the runaway slaves by teaching them how to read the New Testament of the Bible. His lessons sometimes included up to 40 people. 

FIGHTING A SLAVE BREAKER

In 1833, Frederick was sent to Edward Covey, a farmer who had a reputation of being a ‘slavebreaker’. Whenever farmers had a troublesome slave, they would send them to Edward so he could harass the slaves by hitting them. However, Douglass’ fierce resistance forced Covey to cease his violent abuse. This set an example for other slaves who were being sent to Covey. Not only did this even give them motivation, but also gave them a model to stand up to. 

PUBLISHING HIS OWN NEWSPAPER

Before Douglass published his abolitionist paper, he was in Great Britain to fight against Britain’s slave trade. After he returned, he published his own paper called The North Star. Not only he printed quotes about slave rights, but he also was involved in movements for Women’s Rights. He was also the most photographed man of the 19th century because of his paper and his fame. His paper also encouraged him to give speeches. The name of his newspaper was changed from “The North Star” to “Frederick Douglass’ Paper”. His paper ran from 1851 to 1860, a total of 9 years.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion Frederick Douglass was one of the most influential Civil Rights fighters of the 19th century. His dedication to his work was commendable. Douglass suffered a heart attack in 1895 when he was on his way from a meeting of the National Council of Women. Unfortunately, he did not survive the attack and ascended to Heaven. Frederick was highly influential because he gave freedom to people, physically fought for rights, and wrote about equality for everyone.