Frederick Baily Douglass-African-American Leader

Essay by silver782Junior High, 8th gradeA, April 2004

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Frederick Baily Douglass

Frederick Baily was born into slavery in the month of Febuary, 1818 on Holmes Hill Frarm near the town of Eaton, Maryland. Frederick's mother, Harriet Baily, worked the cornfields surrounding Holmes hill. He knew little of his father except that the man was white. As a child, he had heard rumors that the master, Aaron Anthony, was his father. Because Harriet Baily was required to work long hours in the fields, Frederick had been sent to live with his grandmother, Betsey Baily.

At age 6, Frederick's grandmother had told him that they were taking a long journey. Soonthey arrived at an elegant home, the Lloyd Plantation. Betsy Baily had pointed out 3 children which were his brother Perry, and his sisters Sara and Eliza. His grandmother had told him to join his siblings and he did so reluctantly. After a while one of the children yelled out to Frederick that his grandmother was gone.

Frederick fell to the ground and wept, he was about to learn the harsh realities of the slave system.

The slave children of Aaron Anthony's were fed cornmeal mush that was placed in a trough, to which they were called. The children made homemade spoons from oyster shells to eat with and competed with each other for every last bite of food. The only clothing that they were provided with was one linen shirt which hung to their knees. The children were provided no beds or warm blankets. On cold winter nights they would huddle together in the kitchen of the Anthony house to keep each other warm. Frederick's mother was rarely able to visit her children due to the distance between Holmes hill farm and the Lloyd plantation.

Fredrick last saw his mother when he was seven years old. He remembered his...