Frederick Douglass
Thursday, February 14th by carlaHe was given an introduction to literacy by Mrs. Auld, his slaveholding mistress, joining in the lessons she was giving her own son. When Mr. Auld found out, he demanded that the lessons stop. They did, but Douglass was determined to be literate, and he found a way.
In 1877 Douglass purchased Cedar Hill, his final home, in Washington, D.C. Today it is the Frederick Douglass National Historic Site. The National Park Service has created a virtual tour of this home, including photos of many artifacts that humanize this National Treasure. (My personal favorite is a pair of sunglasses.) When the Equal Rights Party met in convention in 1872, they nominated Victoria Woodhull for President of the United States and Frederick Douglass for Vice President. The nominations were more symbolic than anything else, but as I listen to news of the campaigns of current presidential hopefuls, I can’t help thinking they would both be pleased.
Frederick Douglass was born in February. He was never quite sure of the year or the date, so eventually he chose to celebrate on the 14th, remembering that his mother had called him “my little valentine.” He thought the year was 1817, though more recent scholarship suggests it might have been 1818.
When Douglass was 19 or 20, he escaped slavery. He began to write and speak eloquently as an abolitionist. During the Civil War he served as an adviser to President Lincoln. When the war was over, he held a variety of positions, including journalist, bank president, and ambassador to Haiti.
