Image – Frederick Douglass

Chapter 12

Frederick Douglass

By the 1850s, Frederick Douglass was one of the most effective opponents of slavery. Because of his first-hand experience as a slave, Douglass focused his entire life on the destruction of slavery and the advancement of racial equality in the United States. The photograph was taken around 1845, when his Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave was making a big impact on a wide audience in both the United States and abroad. During this time, Douglass was often speaking to large audiences about the importance of abolition and the need to address such racial injustice.