Douglass’ name is synonymous with the American abolitionist movement, and he himself was born a slave in Maryland in 1818. He actually made 3 separate attempts at escape, and was caught twice. He’d fare better on September 3, 1838. Borrowing identification papers that belonged to a freed merchant sailor, he boarded a train from Baltimore to Wilmington, Delaware. From there: a steamboat to Philadelphia, where one railroad took him to quite another altogether. You see, when his train reached NY, Douglass had reached the protection of the Underground Railroad, and would soon be a free man.
You’ve been listening to “No More Auction Block”, sung by Paul Robeson. He knew a thing or two about persecution; find out more by typing his name in the search bar at soundbeat.org