Publisher Description
Born into a life of bondage, Frederick Douglass secretly taught himself to read and write. For a slave, it was a crime punishable by death, but it resulted in one of the most eloquent indictments of slavery ever recorded. Douglass's autobiography traces his birth into slavery, his escape to the North, and the beginnings of the career that was to make him the preeminent spokesman for his people. His gripping narrative takes us into the fields, cabins, and manors of pre–Civil War plantations in the South and reveals the daily terrors he suffered as a slave. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave is one of the most influential autobiographies ever written. This classic text did as much as or more than any other book to motivate the abolitionists to continue to fight for freedom in America. Written more than a century and a half ago, this timeless classic still speaks directly to our age. It is a record of savagery and inhumanity that goes far to explain why America still suffers from the great injustices of the past.
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About Frederick Douglass
Frederick Douglass (1818–1895), né Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey, was born into slavery in Maryland. Upon successfully escaping slavery—on his third attempt—in 1838, Douglass became one of the key leaders of the abolitionist movement in the United States. An extremely gifted orator, he repeatedly risked his own freedom as an antislavery speaker, writer, and statesman. A firm believer in equality for all people, including Native Americans, women, and immigrants, Douglass was also an activist in the women’s suffrage movement. He died in Washington DC, shortly after he attended a meeting of the National Council of Women, where he had received a standing ovation for his enormous contribution to human rights.
About Jonathan Reese
Jonathan Reese was trained from an early age in music and theater. Of his many credits he was proudest of being a founding member of Berkeley’s Straw Hat review. Formidably intelligent, deeply sympathetic, and highly sensitive to his material, he was perfectly suited for literary narration.