Black History: Special Delivery!!
Question:
All of the men below escaped slavery. Which person used his profession as a sailor as a way to escape slavery?
A) Lewis Williams
B) Matthew Henson
C) Fredrick Douglass
D) William Kraft
The answer is C. Fredrick Douglass
In 1838, Douglass successful escaped from slavery. He was 20 years old. It was actually his second attempt. 2 years earlier he had attempted to escape but another slave told his master of his plan. As a result he was jailed and then sent to Baltimore where he was hired out to work in the shipyards. His cover was almost blown several times, but eventually he made it to freedom. Another interesting fact to note is that upon escaping to freedom, is when he took the surname “Douglass” prior to that, his last name had been Bailey.
To read more about his escape, click on the link below:
http://www.history.com/news/frederick-douglass-escapes-slavery-175-years-ago