Abolitionists - Men
Click on photos to enlarge.
Frederick Douglass
Born Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey
February 1818 to February 20, 1895
Born into slavery 1817 or 1818 in Talbot County, Maryland, Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey was sent to work for a ship carpenter at eight years old. On September 3, 1838, Douglass escaped slavery, fled to New York City where he married Anna Murray, a free Negro woman he met in Baltimore. He changed his name to Frederick Douglass and they relocated to New Bedford, Massachusetts.
Douglass rose to prominence as an abolitionist, speaker, lecturer, writer, newspaper publisher and vice presidential candidate. On June 26, 1889, President Benjamin Harrison appointed Douglass Minister Resident/Consul General, (Ambassador), to Haiti. Letter from Frederick Douglass to Secretary of State James G. Blaine, Accepting the Appointment as U.S. Minister to Haiti, 06/25/1889.
PHOTOS
First: Frederick Douglass, ca. 1879, courtesy of the National Archives. National Archives Identifier: 558770. Local Identifier: FL-FL-22.
Second L: Home of Frederick Douglass, National Historic Site Cedar Hill 1411 W Street, SE Washington, DC 20020, Visitor Center, (202) 426-5961. Second R: #Library and desk.
Third L: Family plot. Third R: Gravesite of Helen Pitts Douglas.
#Fourth L: Douglass' daughter's headstone. Fourth R: Douglass' headstone with name of first wife Anna Murray.
Fifth L: *Statue of Frederick Douglass at Talbot County, MD Courthouse,11 N. Washington Street
Easton, MD 21601. Fifth R: *Plaque on back of statue.
Bottom: *History Marker, bridge, and river signs.
# Photos included in book: Voices for Freedom Abolitionist Heroes, Frederick Douglass - From Slavery to Statesman by Henry Elliot. Photos - pages 39, 55 and 56.
SOURCES
Lectures
National Park Service Ranger. The Life of Frederick Douglass. Frederick Douglass Home. S.E. Washington, DC. Tour and discussion.
Internet
"People and Events Frederick Douglass - PBS Africans in America." pbs.org, https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4p1539.html. Web.
"Frederick Douglass." archives.gov, https://www.archives.gov/exhibits/documented-rights/exhibit/section2/detail/frederick-douglass.html. Web.
"Frederick Douglass Honors Society", https://frederickdouglasshonorsociety.com/. Web
Site Visits
Frederick Douglass Tour. S.E. Washington, DC.
Gravesite. Mt. Hope Cemetery, Rochester, NY.
Statue of Frederick Douglass at Talbot County Courthouse, Easton, MD.
Birthplace. Talbot County, MD.
INTERRED
Mt. Hope Cemetery, 1133 Mt. Hope Avenue, Rochester, NY 14620. Phone: 585-428-7999.
Nat Turner
October 2, 1800 to November 11, 1831
Born into slavery on October 2, 1800, Nat Turner was owned by Samuel Tucker. At age 21, he was sold to Thomas Moore. Turner, an intelligent and deeply religious man experienced visions several times throughout his life. On May 12, 1828, in a vision from a spirit, Turner was told in part, he should rise and prepare himself to slay his enemies with their own weapons, and that he would receive a sign from the heavens. He served as a preacher, sharing his visions with slaves in Southampton and Greenville Counties, Virginia. In 1829, Thomas Moore died, and Turner became the property of Joseph Travis and his new wife, Thomas Moore's former widow.
After seeing an eclipse of the sun in February of 1831, Turner planed a rebellion on July 4, against slave owners and their families. He became ill and the uprising was postponed. On August 22, at approximately 2:00 A.M. Turner and six of his men killed Moore's family and other whites they encountered. The rebellion grew to 40 slaves, most of them on horseback.
Word of the rebellion spread, by the afternoon of August 22, Turner and his men were met by local militia. Their efforts were repelled. Turner and his men regrouped. The next day they attempted to attack another house but was stopped. State and local militia joined in the battle. Several slaves were killed, some of them escaped including Turner. Governor John Floyd issued a $500.00 reward for Turner's capture, Proclamation by Governor John Floyd. When the rebellion ended, 55 white people were killed or wounded.
Turner hid in the woods and on October 30, a man out hunting found him. He was held in the county jail. While detained, attorney Thomas Gray interviewed Turner and later wrote the book “The Confessions of Nat Turner.” On November 5, 1831, Turner was tried at Southampton County Courthouse. He pled not guilty, was found guilty, and sentenced to death by hanging, Nat Turner's trial. Ultimately, Turner was hung, skinned, and dismembered. The remaining parts of his body were destroyed. The state reimbursed the slaveholder for the financial loss of his slave.
PHOTOS
Top L: A depiction of Nat Turner's rebellion courtesy of Library of Congress. Digital ID: (b&w film copy neg. LC-USZ62-38902) cph 3a39248. R: Home of the last white residents killed in the rebellion.
Bottom L: Southampton County Courthouse, location of Nat Turner's Trial. R. Nat Turner History Marker and history marker close up.
Bottom:
SOURCES
Books
Bisson, Terry ed. "Notable Black Americans of Achievement - Nat Turner Slave Revolt Leader." Grolier Inc. 1988. Print.
Gray, Thomas R. "The Confessions of Nat Turner." Lucas and Deaver. 1831. Print.
Internet
"People and Events Nat Turner - PBS Africans in America." pbs.org, https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part3/3p1518.html, Web.
"Nat Turner's Rebellion." The Library of Virginia - lva.virginia.gov, https://www.lva.virginia.gov/exhibits/DeathLiberty/natturner/. Web.
Movie
Nat Turner - A Troublesome Property. Dir. Charles Burnett. California Newsreel, 2002. Film.
Site Visits
Southampton Courthouse, Courtland, VA.
Home of people rebelled against. Courtland, VA.
History Marker. Boykins, VA.
INTERRED: After being hung, Turner was skinned and dismembered. The remaining parts of his body were destroyed.