Who Is Fredrick Augustus Washington Baily?

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Fredrick Augustus Washington Baily was a longtime abolitionist during his adult years. It was living during the world of slavery that he sought to speak on the freeing of black slaves and for equal opportunity. Although it was not an easy task, Fredrick was very well devoted to his stance against slavery as he was a slave himself. Fredrick Baily was born and raised in Talbot County Maryland during the year of 1818. He grew up knowing very little about his identity as you was not familiar with his birthdate, did not know his father was and he was separated from his mother at a very early age. Born during the time of slavery he was set to be a slave as that of his mother and was left to an elderly woman too old for field work to raise him. During …show more content…

His exact method of escaping was unknown to the world but he managed to leave Baltimore City and arrived in New York City without ever getting caught. While in New York, Douglass befriended a man by the name of Mr. David Ruggles. Ruggles took Fredrick to a boarding house and provided a means for Douglass to travel to New Bedford as it was not safe for Douglass to stay in New York where he could risk to chance of being found and returned back to slavery if not killed. Before Douglass left New York, he married women named Anna and they both traveled to New Bedford. Once they arrived they lived with a man by the name of Nathan Johnson who provided them with shelter, an advancement of money and helped Fredrick Douglass find employment. It was one morning at the breakfast table that Johnson informed Fredrick he needed to change his name. Fredrick informed Johnson that he would have the honor of changing his names so long as he kept the name Fredrick as part of his identity. Thus His name became Fredrick Douglass. In closing , after reading the Narrative of Fredrick Douglass, I began to question certain aspects of Mr. Douglass’s life. I found the narrative to also be rather contradictive. In the story it was stated that Douglass always dreamed of receiving hi freedom, yet Fredrick Douglass had multiple opportunities to escape slavery. Mr. Douglass could have escaped slavery when he conspired with other slaves to sail up the Chesapeake Bay. If they left when they had the chance instead of waiting maybe they would not have gotten caught. Also Fredrick could have tried to escape when returned to Baltimore to work at the ship yard. In my opinion Mr. Douglass stated that he desired to be free but waited until he was a man to do so but it seemed as if we waited forever to escape. This was a man who could read , write and forge his own freedom documents. He had his Master’a consent to

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