Frederick Douglass

1817 – 1895

Frederick Douglass was an American social reformer, abolitionist, orator, and statesman who became the most influential leader of the 19th-century African American civil rights movement. After escaping slavery in Maryland in 1838, he wrote three autobiographies—beginning with the 1845 Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave—that became foundational texts of the abolitionist cause. He served as U.S. Marshal for the District of Columbia, recorder of deeds, and U.S. minister to Haiti, and was the first African American nominated for vice president on a major-party ticket.

Last checked: May 10, 2026, 1:06 PM