Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave

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Editor’s Note
In this memoir, Frederick Douglass chronicles life as an enslaved boy in the American South, his eventual escape, and his new beginnings as a free man and abolitionist. Note: This historical memoir may include outdated and offensive language.
This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published before January 1, 1929. It was adapted by the Observatory from a version produced by Wikisource contributors.
Published: 1845 Last edited: March 13, 2025
BY
Frederick Douglass (1818–1895) was a renowned African American writer and social reformer. He escaped from slavery as a young man, wrote a bestselling autobiography, and was a figurehead of U.S. abolitionist movements.
DATE OF PUBLICATION
1845
SOURCE
Public Domain

Title Page
NARRATIVE

OF THE

LIFE

OF

FREDERICK DOUGLASS,

AN

AMERICAN SLAVE.


WRITTEN BY HIMSELF.
BOSTON:

PUBLISHED AT THE ANTI-SLAVERY OFFICE,

No. 25 Cornhill

1845.
Copyright Page

Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1845,

By Frederick Douglass,

In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of Massachusetts.


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