Powerfully written biography of Frederick Douglass.

Frederick Douglas was born into slavery. Through the kindness of a slave master's wife, Frederick Douglas learned to read and write and was able to teach other slaves his newfound knowledge. This sparked his idea to escape, which he successfully did by feigning a note from his master giving him permission to leave. This decision would lead to him becoming a forefront in the antislavery movement. This books gives a good background on Douglas' early life and is accompanied by beautiful illustrations. I just wish it gave more information on his activism and life as an adult. ( )

I have heard the name Frederick Douglass, but I was able to learn some interesting things about him. I did not know that Frederick changed his last name from Bailey to Douglass. It was heartbreaking to learn that after Missus told her husband how excited she was to teach him the alphabet, her husband got angry and banned him from learning any more. How brave little Frederick was to continue learning every chance he got on his own. Then he taught many other slaves to read. The power of learning and knowledge helped Douglass escape and enlighten others on the abolition of slavery. He went on to write a book and for a newspaper. I thought this was significant in the story, "We started with the letter A and continued from there..." The beginning of the alphabets was the beginning of what would become of Frederick Douglass. ( )

This biography is about the early life of Frederick Douglas. Although this is mentioned only briefly in the book, Frederick Douglas was significant in becoming one of the first leaders of the antislavery movement. This book talks about how secretly learning to read helped to set him free from slavery. I learned that Frederick Douglas was taught to read by the wife of one of his new master. I also learned that he was sent back to his old plantation home and secretly taught other slaves how to read and write.This eventually led them to make a plan to escape and sail north with a forged letter that gave them access to the freedom up north.The organization of this book was straightforward for the most part. The illustrations were realistic and portrayed the main scene that the text was describing. This had an effect of accurately portraying the harsh conditions that slaves were forced to endure. The illustrations also showed how Frederick Douglas was able to accomplish so many of his goals. For example, when he is writing in the dirt to teach other slaves how to read and write. This story was very well written with beautiful illustrations. This book has inspired me to learn more about the second half of Frederick Douglas's life. ( )

In the case of Fredrick Douglass, words literally set him free. The epilogue explains how he forged his master's handwriting and wrote his own note to try and set him free. The book follows the life of Fredrick Douglass as a boy and how he learned how to read. Many slaves were forbidden from learning and were severely punished for reading. Yet Fredrick persevered and eventually mastered it to the point where he was teaching his fellow slaves.
The author's note at the end explains that his plan didn't work out, but he was later eventually freed via the Underground Railroad.
This is an engaging and informative book about one the most important and influential people in the history of the United States. ( )