Frederick Douglass
Frederick Douglass was born a slave around 1817 or 1818 in Tuckahoe, Maryland. Enduring slavery for 20 years, he escaped to freedom on September 3, 1838. Self-taught, he become the most prolific and influential black man of the nineteenth century.

An eloquent and powerful orator, he was known as the lion of Washington and is regarded by many as the grandfather of our civil rights movement. His role as a leader of the anti-slavery movement was internationally known. He was also an advisor to Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War era and the first man to stand up for women’s rights and suffrage. Before there was Marcus, Malcolm, Mandela, Martin, and Rosa. . . there was Frederick—champion of freedom, liberty, and equality.

"The Spirit" and President Lincoln (Jim Reuben)
—Photo by Ian McNemar (The Daily Tribune)