Speech before the Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society, Jan. 26, 1864 and May 9, 1865

A document from LOC collection of correspondence between Frederick Douglass and his peers. Frederick Douglass was an African American social reformer, abolitionist, orator, writer, and statesman who lived in the 19th century. He was born into slavery in Maryland in 1818, but he escaped to freedom in the North in 1838. Once free, Douglass became a leading abolitionist and a prominent figure in the movement to end slavery in the United States. He was also an advocate for women's rights and for the rights of other marginalized groups. Douglass was a talented speaker and writer, and he spoke out against slavery and injustice. He wrote several books about his experiences as a slave and his work in the abolitionist movement, and he is considered one of the most important figures in American civil rights history.