Frederick Douglass Author:Arna Bontemps Frederick Douglass was born a slave, an insignificant figure on a plantation, but then the chance came that eventually changed the course of his life and made history. Young Fred was sent to Baltimore to work, and there he learned to read. Many times during his long struggle toward freedom he nearly lost or forgot this great accomplishment.It wa... more »s hard for Fred to use his eyes and his mind for such a thing as reading when long hours of farm work and poor food and shelter kept him down.Finally, when Frederick Douglass got his hardwon freedom, he dedicated his life to the cause offreedom for all men. From a lowly slave boy, he forged his way to becaome a great statesman, newsman, orator, writer. The path was rough but the goal was worth winning.« less