Who Was Frederick Douglass?

• By April Jones Prince
• Paperback: 105 pages
• Ages: 8-12
• Grades: 3-7

• Product Description

• Born into slavery in Maryland in 1818, Frederick Douglass was determined to gain freedom–and once he realized that knowledge was power, he secretly learned to read and write to give himself an advantage. After escaping to the North in 1838, as a free man he gave powerful speeches about his experience as a slave. He was so impressive that he became a friend of President Abraham Lincoln, as well as one of the most famous abolitionists of the nineteenth century.

African American history is deeply woven into the fabric of the United States, from the struggles of slavery and segregation to the ongoing fight for civil rights and justice.

The National Archives preserves and protects a wealth of African American history records, including records from the slave trade, civil rights cases, photographs, military records, and the writings of activists, artists, and everyday citizens. These records document the lives, contributions, and resilience of Black Americans across centuries.

On the African American Research page, the National Archives provides online access to records documenting African American history in collections that focus on the Black Power movement, voting rights, mass migrations, and more. Featured records include the March on Washington and President Barack Obama.