Frederick Douglass was born a slave in Maryland in 1818. Like many slaves of that time, he was forcibly seperated from his mother shortly after his birth and was raised by his grandmother. She too had to leave him when he was only six years old - a terrible shock from which he never really recovered.

Being extraordinarily intelligent, Douglass tought himself how to read - with some help by the wife of his master. When his master discovered this, he reacted very harshly, declaring that eductation would make a slave useless. This event opened Douglass's eyes, from then on he ambitiously strived for every bit of education he could get - exchanging all food he could spare for lessons.

Exposed to tough labour on the fields, the flame of resistance grew within Douglass. At age 15 he successfully opposed a cruel slavebreaker. At age 18 he attempted his first escape, but it failed. Only in 1838, at the age of 20, did he finally escape - disguised as a sailor.

His escape first lead him to Massachusetts, where he started a family with his wife Anna Murray. There he joined the abolitionist movement and in 1841 became a speaker for the Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society.

Soon he published his own newspaper, The North Star, and wrote his autobiography. He was a great defender of women's rights. He served as advisor of Abraham Lincoln and later held a number of public offices: United States Marshal and Recorder of Deeds for the District of Columbia, as well as Minister-General of Haiti.