Frederick DouglassThe great civil rights activist Frederick Douglass was born into slavery on a plantation on the Eastern Shore of Maryland in February 1818. His name, Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey, seemed to foreshadow an unusual life for this son of a farmhand and a white man, most likely Douglass's first master, Captain Aaron Anthony. Perhaps Harriet Bailey gave her son such a distinguished name in hopes that his life would be better than hers. She could not imagine that her son's life would continue to be a source of interest and inspiration nearly 190 years after his birth. Indeed, it would be difficult to find anyone who more intimately embodies this year's Black History Month theme, “From Slavery to Freedom: Africans in the Americas.” Like many in the nineteenth-century United States, Frederick Douglass escaped the horrors of slavery to enjoy a life of freedom, but his unique personality and drive to achieve equity for his race led him to dedicate his life to the abolition of slavery and the peace movement. civil rights of blacks. His fiery oratory and astonishing achievements have produced a legacy that extends his influence across the centuries, making Frederick Douglass a role model for the twenty-first century. There is no doubt that the major turning point in Douglass' life would be his fight with Covey. Frederick Douglass, born into slavery around 1818, will forever remain one of the most important figures in the American fight for civil rights and racial equality. As a former slave, his inspiration grew beyond his borders to reach the entire world. Without any formal education, Douglass escaped slavery and became a respected American diplomat, advisor to four presidents, a highly regarded speaker, and an influential author... middle of paper... still a slave, Douglass encounters violent intimidation tactics from the his white colleagues and is forced to change shipyard. In his new apprenticeship, Douglass quickly learns the caulking trade and soon earns the highest wage possible, always handing it over to Hugh Auld. Eventually, Douglass receives permission from Hugh Auld to take his extra time. Gradually he saves money and eventually manages to escape to New York. Douglass refrains from describing the details of his escape to advocate for the well-being of future slaves who might attempt the journey. In New York, Douglass fears recapture and changes his name from Bailey to Douglass. Shortly thereafter he married Anna Murray, a free woman he met in Baltimore. They moved north to Massachusetts, where Douglass was heavily involved in the abolitionist movement as both a writer and speaker...