This year’s special exhibit “Frederick Douglass: His world 1818-1895 is now open. There will be a special opening event held at the Museum on Sunday, May 17 at 3 PM. The Curator Kate Fones will lead groups through the new exhibit and light refreshments will be available. The event is free and everyone is welcome.
This exhibit will complement the Museum’s permanent exhibit on the life of Young Frederick Douglass in Talbot County and the Docent-led Walking tour “Young Frederick Douglass, a Slave, In St. Michaels 1833 – 36”. The walking tour will continue to be offered in 2015. See the website stmichaelsmuseum.org for dates and times. It can also be offered at other times to groups of 5 per more with one weeks notice. Contact the Museum at s[email protected] or call 410 745 0530 for information.
The exhibit will cover Douglass’ life over seven different periods.
#1: His early years in Talbot county (1818-1826) and The Fells Point Years: Hugh and Sophia Auld (1826-1833) and (1836-1838) .
This section will cover his period of slavery with Aaron Anthony and then Thomas Auld as the master of Frederic Augustus Bailey (later Douglass). Anthony was the overseer for the Edward Lloyd Wye Plantation. The Bailey family had roots on the Eastern Shore going back to at least 1733. Even at a young age, Frederick stood out as unusually bright and personable. At Wye House he was selected to be Edward Lloyd’s twelve-year-old son Daniel’s companion. Ten at age 8 he moved to Fell’s point to be a house slave and the companion for Hugh Auld’s two-year-old son, Tommy. At age 15 Frederic was moved to St. Michaels by his master Thomas Auld and was very unhappy to become a field slave. At age 18, after being arrested for leading an escape attempt, Frederic was returned to Fell’s Point where he escaped to freedom two years later. The events of this period, learning to read in Baltimore and then becoming a field slave for three years in St Michaels, set the stage for his later accomplishments
#2: Freedom 1838-1848
Douglass married and settled in New Bedford, Massachusetts where he became active with the abolitionist group of William Lloyd Garrison. During Douglass’ early years, his impressive, articulate speeches, that did not reveal the names of his owners or exactly where he came from or how he escaped led many people to think that he was never a slave. He decided to write his autobiography with names, places and dates. It was dangerous to do this because he was a fugitive slave. A few months after the publication, the threat of kidnapping by slave catchers led to the Garrison’s anti-slavery organization sending Douglass to England so he would be safe. While there he travelled widely, giving lectures about slavery and the abolition movement with great success. While there a group of English abolitionists handled the legal details and the raised the money (seven hundred eleven dollars) to buy his freedom. He was free to return to America.
#3: Rochester Years 1848-1872:
On his return he started the abolitionist news paper, North Star, in Rochester, NY and was very busy as a traveling speaker. He had ties to the Underground Railroad, involvement with Women’s suffrage, and wrote his 2nd autobiography. His ties to John Brown forced him to seek refuge in Canada and England Oct. 1859- May 1860.
# 4: Civil War Years:
Frederick Douglass welcomed the start of the Civil War. He believed that the war would finally end slavery in America. In his paper he was critical of Lincoln’s slowness in dealing with the issue of slavery and felt he was too soft on the South. After the election, Douglass developed a close relationship with President Lincoln. He is credited with helping to convince Lincoln the Civil War was about slavery and not just reuniting the Union. He played a leading role in creating a regiment for black soldiers and recruiting black soldiers. Frederick’s three sons all played a role in the civil war.
# 5: Washington DC: 1872-1895:
At the end of the Civil War with the official end of slavery, Frederick worked to gain equal rights for former slaves. This meant more involvement with politics at the national level. Between 1865 and 1870, the three civil rights amendments were passed, the 13th, 14th and 15th. Lincoln shepherded the 13th amendment through Congress and it officially passed shortly after his death. The 14th amendment was passed to counter the Black Codes enacted in mostly southern states shortly after the Civil War. The 15th amendment, giving African American males the vote was perhaps the most controversial one. It split the National Woman’s Suffrage Association into two opposing groups, the NWSA which was against only males getting the vote and the American Woman Suffrage Association went along with the amendment in the hopes that women would get the vote at a later date. During the 1870’s and 1880’s Douglass had several presidential appointments. President Grant appointed Douglass in 1871 assistant secretary to the Santo Domingo Commission and as a member of the first DC Legislative Council. In 1877, newly elected President, Rutherfort B. Hays appointed Douglass to a Federal position, US Marshal of Washington DC. Congress approved it in March 1877. He was the first African American to hold a federal office in American history. Douglass served until 1881.
# 6: Family:
Douglass was one of the seven children, born between 1813 and 1825 to Harriet Bailey. Douglass never did discover who his white father was and it is still unknown today, although the most likely choice is Aaron Anthony. He was able to make contact with only three of his siblings after the Civil War. He saw his older sister Eliza Bailey Mitchell briefly in November 1864 in Baltimore in Fells Point. Eliza remained in St. Michaels all her life. She married St. Michaels native Peter Mitchell around 1832. Her husband purchased her freedom and that of her two small daughters from Thomas Auld in 1836.
#7: Back to the Easton Shore 1877-1893:
This section deals with his four visits back to the Easton Shore: In later life, Frederick Douglass was extremely nostalgic about the Eastern Shore. Although he had written strong words of criticism about the slavery, slaveholders, and the prejudices of the Easton Shore, it was where he was born and lived as a child. His original family and ties were in Talbot County, slave and free…black and white. Douglass returned four times to the Easton Shore after the Civil War. In June 1877, Douglass left Baltimore visit St. Michaels. Now 59 and recently appointed US Marshal of Washington, DC, he had left St. Michaels in 1838, forty – one years ago, as a 18 year old slave and now wanted to return. His former owner Thomas Auld was now 82 and in poor health, a widower living with his married daughter Louisa and her husband, his son in law, William H. Bruff. Douglass wanted to see Auld as well as old friends and family. It was an emotional meeting; both men had tears in their eyes. Douglass felt he had to apologize for the harsh treatment of Auld in his autobiographies and antislavery speeches. After the meeting Douglass wrote, “…. I regarded him as I did myself, a victim of the circumstances of birth, education, law, and custom.” Douglass’ second visit was to Easton in November 1878. He was there sponsored by the local Republican Party to give an address at the courthouse where he had been jailed in 1836. On June 12, 1881, he visited Wye House where he had lived as a boy of six for almost two years. He arrived by a United States revenue cutter “Guthrie” with his friend and fellow Republican John L. Thomas, Jr. collector of customs for the Port of Baltimore. At Wye House he was greeted by Howard Lloyd for a tour of the grounds and refreshments.
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