Throughout his early life, Frederick was a slave to many masters, including Aaron Anthony, Thomas Auld, Hugh Auld, Edward Covey, and William Freeland. While living under Hugh Auld, Frederick was taught to read and write the alphabet by his mistress, Sophia. When Hugh found out about the teachings, he got angry. Not only was it illegal to teach slaves to read, but the education would make Frederick aware of the abolitionist movement. Since Sophia could no longer teach him to read, Frederick bribed the white neighbor boys, with bread, to further his lessons. He also taught himself through the use of newspapers and The Columbian Orator. These two sources of information proved to be very influential for Frederick. By reading them, he learned about freedom and the abolitionist movement.
With his new knowledge, Frederick vowed not to live the life of a slave much longer. While working for William Freeland, Frederick and a few other slaves planned to escape. "The escape was supposed to take place just before the Easter holiday in 1836, but one of Frederick's associates had exposed the plot and a group of armed white men captured the slaves and put them in jail" (Thomas, par. 15). His next escape attempt was successful. He came into possession of a document that stated that he was a free sailor. With this, he arrived in New York City on September 4, 1838. Anna Murray, his fiance, met him in the North and they were married in September 1838. Around this time, Frederick Bailey changed his name to elude the slave catchers. His friend Nathan Johnson was reading The Lady of the Lake and Nathan "suggested that Frederick name himself after a character in the book. Frederick Bailey thus became Frederick Douglass" (Thomas, par. 25). Anna and Frederick moved to New Bedford, Massachusetts and had five children. Douglass became involved with the American Anti-Slavery Society and became very active in the movement for abolition.
When the Civil War broke out, Frederick was convinced that the war was fought to end slavery. He "marked out two goals for which he would fight: emancipation for all slaves in the Confederacy and the Union border states, and the right of blacks to enlist in the armies of the North" (Thomas, par. 38). After the war, Frederick saw many triumphs for the African American community. The Emancipation Proclamation, given on December 31, 1862 by Abraham Lincoln, was the first. The Thirteenth Amendment, which abolished slavery in the United States, was another. These accomplishments did not end Frederick's quest for African American freedom, however, as he continued to influence the civil rights movement with his effective use of public speaking. He furthered his influence as U.S. Marshall, recorder of deeds, and minister and ambassador to Haiti.
On August 4, 1882, Frederick's first wife, Anna, died. Not more than two years later, Frederick remarried, to a woman named Helen Pitts. This marraige was very controversial, however, as Helen was a white woman. Their marraige "upset both black and white society" (Thomas, par. 55). His second marraige lasted about nine years, as Frederick Douglass suffered a fatal heart attack on February 20, 1895.