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February 20, 1895

Equal-rights Crusader Frederick Douglass Dies

Frederick Douglass was a leader of the anti-slavery movement in the years leading up to the Civil War and an ardent supporter of women's rights in the post-war period. He was born into slavery in Maryland in 1818. His birth name was Frederick Bailey. In 1838, he escaped to New Bedford, Mass. and took the name Frederick Douglass. He quickly became involved in the abolitionist movement, advancing the cause as an orator, writer, editor and publisher. Douglass died on this date in 1895.