Frederick Douglass

Frederick Douglass was born

1817

Frederick Douglass was born in Tuckahoe, Maryland in either 1817 or 1818. He was no sure though because he was never told what year is was lat alone the year he was born. Slaveholders wanted to keep their slaves as ignorant as possible.

Frederick Douglass was born

Period: 1817 to 1818

Frederick Douglass was born in Tuckahoe, Maryland in either 1817 or 1818. He is not quite sure though because he never was told the day of the week let alone the year. They wanted to make sure slaves stayed ignorant.

Douglass is sent to live with Master Hugh Auld

1826

Douglass was so excited to go to Baltimore to Master Auld's and to not have to work in fields anymore. He was then put under the watch of Master Auld's youngest son Colonel Lloyd. When he got there though he saw slaves being whipped and beating for some of the first times. He also was always very cold and hungry which he has never experienced before.

Mrs. Auld teaches Douglass to read

1827

Mrs. Auld taught him the alphabet and started teaching him some words. When Mr. Auld found out about it he stopped it right away because he wanted to keep his slave ignorant. He only wants slaves to know how to obey.

Douglass returns to the plantation in Maryland

1831

After Colonel Lloyd died Douglass had to return to Maryland while the division of his property, including his slaves, go settled out. He did not want to have to go back to working in the field but he had no choice.

Douglass is sent to live with Master Thomas Auld

1833

After they divide up Colonel Lloyd's property, Douglass is sent to work for Master Thomas Auld. Master Thomas did not feed his slave enough or treat them very well. There Douglass liked to rebel and act out a lot.

Dougless is sent to Covey

1834

Once Master Auld had finally had enough of Douglass acting out he sent him to Covey. Covey was know as the "slave-breaker" because he was supposed to whip slaves into shape and make them obey. There Douglass almost lost all hope in ever escaping and being free.

Douglass is sent to live with William Freeland

1835

After working for Covey for a year Douglass is sent to live with William Freeland. Master Freeland is a relatively nice master. There Douglass starts a school in secret to tech other slaves how to read.

Douglass tries to escape for the first time.

1836

While at Master Freeland's Douglass gets a group of slave together and they plan in stealing a canoe and sailing up north. Before they could put there plan in action another slave had ratted them out. All of the blame also got put on Douglass and he was thrown in jail.

Douglass is sent back to work for Mr. Auld

1837

Mr. Auld sends him to work at his shipyard and he begin to learn the trade. He also is working right along side with white men. One day he got into an argument with one of the men and Mr. Auld tries help him.

Douglass escapes slavery

1838

Douglass does not tell us much about how escapes. He does tell us that he traveled by train and boat carrying identification papers from a free black seaman.

Frederick Douglass died

1895

Douglass died of a heart attack in Washington DC. Douglass lived a long life of 77 or 78 years.