Frederick Douglass (c 1818-1895) was born to an enslaved woman in Maryland. He was separated from his mother as a baby and lived with his maternal grandmother, who was enslaved, and his maternal grandfather, who was free.

At the age of 6, Douglass was removed from the care of his grandparents and given to a Lucretia Auld who gave him to another woman, Sophia. Sophia treated the boy well, even teaching him to read.

In 1838, Douglass escaped and made it to New York. He got married that year and the couple moved to Massachusetts where he attended abolitionist meetings and became a preacher.

Douglass’ best known work is Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave (1845). Within 3 years, it was reprinted 9 times, translated into French and Dutch, and published in Europe.

He later published 2 more autobiographies - My Bondage and My Freedom (1855) and Life and Times of Frederick Douglass (1881).