Fun Frederick Facts

Here are some fun and interesting facts about Frederick Douglass.

#1  As a young man in Baltimore, Douglass learned to play the violin.  It was a hobby he enjoyed the rest of his life.

#2  Douglass met President Abraham Lincoln three times during the Civil War.  After the president died, Mrs. Lincoln gave her husband's favorite walking stick to Douglass.

#3  Douglass became active in the Underground Railroad.  His home in Rochester, New York, was a stopping place.  Runaway slaves could hide there until it was safe to travel to the next stop.  Today, people can visit there.

#4  Douglass was know as a great storyteller.  He often made family, friends, and audiences laugh with his tales.

#5  Douglass wrote three books about his life:  Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, My Bondage and My Freedom, and the Life and Times of Frederick Douglass.

#6  In 1899, four years after Douglass died, a statue of him was built in Rochester, New York.  It was the first time an African American was honored with a statue.

taken from National Geographic Kids "Frederick Douglass" by Barbara Kramer