The Genius Way Frederick Douglass Escaped Enslavement

black and white portrait photo of frederick douglass
Briona Lamback
September 1, 2022

Using borrowed “freedom papers” from a Black sailorman in Baltimore, Frederick Douglass kept calm upon boarding, revealing his American-eagle stamped pass to the conductor. With a glance, the conductor collected his train fare and continued down the aisle.

But Douglass’s anxiety only heightened from there, and as the train crossed over state lines, more hurdles would come on his path to freedom.

In Delaware, bounty hunters lined town borders vigilantly, awaiting to recapture enslaved people fleeing. Danger persisted when passengers transferred to a ferry, where Douglass locked eyes with a white blacksmith who recognized him.

But, with his ancestors on his side, Douglass made the journey to Philadelphia with no mishaps. From there, he took a night train to New York City–escaping enslavement in less than 24 hours. On September 3, 1838, Frederick Douglass was officially a free man.

“It was a time of joyous excitement which words can but tamely describe,” he said of the journey in his first autobiography. “I felt as one might feel upon escape from a den of hungry lions.” 

Douglass knew what we all must: our liberation won’t come easy.

Liberation requires a strategy, and like Frederick, often, we’ll have to get creative to work around the hurdles white supremacy places on our paths, but our future is worth the risk!

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