Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey, later known as Frederick Douglass, was born in February 1818 near Easton, Maryland. He was the son of Harriet Bailey, a slave. Captain Aaron Anthony claimed ownership of Douglass.
Douglass spent his early childhood in a cabin with his grandmother Betsey. His mother was hired out and he only saw her on rare visits. In 1824, Douglass was separated from his grandmother and taken to live on the large plantation of Colonel Edward Lloyd, where Captain Aaron Anthony worked. In 1826, he was sent to Baltimore, Maryland to live with Hugh and Sophia Auld, in-laws of Captain Anthonys daughter.
Douglass lived in Baltimore from 1826 until 1833, where his first job as a child was to look after the Aulds son, Tommy. While he was in Baltimore, Douglass learned to read and write. Sophia Auld taught him until her husband forbade it. After that, Douglass taught himself in secret.
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