Frederick Douglass National Historic Site
In his journey from captive slave to internationally renowned activist, Frederick Douglass (1818-1895) has been a source of inspiration and hope for millions. His brilliant words and brave actions continue to shape the ways that we think about race, democracy, and the meaning of freedom.
Frederick Douglass spent his life fighting for justice and equality. Born into slavery in 1818, he escaped as a young man and became a leading voice in the abolitionist movement. People everywhere still find inspiration today in his tireless struggle, brilliant words, and inclusive vision of humanity. Douglass's legacy is preserved here at Cedar Hill, where he lived his last 17 years.
Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey was born into slavery on the Eastern Shore of Maryland in February 1818. He had a difficult family life. He barely knew his mother, who lived on a different plantation and died when he was a young child. He never discovered the identity of his father. When he turned eight years old, his slave owner hired him out to work as a body servant in Baltimore.
At an early age, Frederick realized there was a connection between literacy and freedom. Not allowed to attend school, he taught himself to read and write in the streets of Baltimore. At twelve, he bought a book called The Columbian Orator. It was a collection of revolutionary speeches, debates, and writings on natural rights.
When Frederick was fifteen, his slave owner sent him back to the Eastern Shore to labor as a field hand. Frederick rebelled intensely. He educated other slaves, physically fought back against a "slave-breaker," and plotted an unsuccessful escape.
Frustrated, his slave owner returned him to Baltimore. This time, Frederick met a young free black woman named Anna Murray, who agreed to help him escape. On September 3, 1838, he disguised himself as a sailor and boarded a northbound train, using money from Anna to pay for his ticket. In less than 24 hours, Frederick arrived in New York City and declared himself free.
After escaping, Frederick Douglass first lived at the Nathan and Polly Johnson house in New Bedford, Massachusetts. The home is now a National Historic Landmark.
The Abolitionist Movement
Frederick and Anna married and moved to New Bedford, Massachusetts, where they adopted the last name "Douglass." They started their family, which would eventually grow to include five children: Rosetta, Lewis, Frederick, Charles, and Annie.
After finding employment as a laborer, Douglass began to attend abolitionist meetings and speak about his experiences in slavery. He soon gained a reputation as an orator, landing a job as an agent for the Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society. The job took him on speaking tours across the North and Midwest.
Douglass's fame as an orator increased as he traveled. Still, some of his audiences suspected he was not truly a fugitive slave. In 1845, he published his first autobiography, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, to lay those doubts to rest. The narrative gave a clear record of names and places from his enslavement.
To avoid being captured and re-enslaved, Douglass traveled overseas. For almost two years, he gave speeches and sold copies of his narrative in England, Ireland, and Scotland. When abolitionists offered to purchase his freedom, Douglass accepted and returned home to the United States legally free. He relocated Anna and their children to Rochester, New York.
In Rochester, Douglass took his work in new directions. He embraced the women's rights movement, helped people on the Underground Railroad, and supported anti-slavery political parties. Once an ally of William Lloyd Garrison and his followers, Douglass started to work more closely with Gerrit Smith and John Brown. He bought a printing press and ran his own newspaper, The North Star. In 1855, he published his second autobiography, My Bondage and My Freedom, which expanded on his first autobiography and challenged racial segregation in the North.
A black-and-white photograph of Frederick Douglass standing in front of a homeFrederick Douglass standing in front of his house on Capitol Hill, ca. 1870s. He later purchased and moved to the suburban estate in Anacostia that he named Cedar Hill.
Civil War and Reconstruction
In 1861, the nation erupted into civil war over the issue of slavery. Frederick Douglass worked tirelessly to make sure that emancipation would be one of the war's outcomes. He recruited African-American men to fight in the U.S. Army, including two of his own sons, who served in the famous 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry. When black troops protested they were not receiving pay and treatment equal to that of white troops, Douglass met with President Abraham Lincoln to advocate on their behalf.
As the Civil War progressed and emancipation seemed imminent, Douglass intensified the fight for equal citizenship. He argued that freedom would be empty if former slaves were not guaranteed the rights and protections of American citizens. A series of postwar amendments sought to make some of these tremendous changes. The 13th Amendment (ratified in 1865) abolished slavery, the 14th Amendment (ratified in 1868) granted national birthright citizenship, and the 15th Amendment (ratified in 1870) stated nobody could be denied voting rights on the basis of race, skin color, or previous servitude.
In 1872, the Douglasses moved to Washington, D.C. There were multiple reasons for their move: Douglass had been traveling frequently to the area ever since the Civil War, all three of their sons already lived in the federal district, and the old family home in Rochester had burned. A widely known public figure by the time of Reconstruction, Douglass started to hold prestigious offices, including assistant secretary of the Santo Domingo Commission, legislative council member of the D.C. Territorial Government, board member of Howard University, and president of the Freedman's Bank.
Post-Reconstruction and Death
After the fall of Reconstruction, Frederick Douglass managed to retain high-ranking federal appointments. He served under five presidents as U.S. Marshal for D.C. (1877-1881), Recorder of Deeds for D.C. (1881-1886), and Minister Resident and Consul General to Haiti (1889-1891). Significantly, he held these positions at a time when violence and fraud severely restricted African-American political activism.
On top of his federal work, Douglass kept a vigorous speaking tour schedule. His speeches continued to agitate for racial equality and women's rights. In 1881, Douglass published his third autobiography, Life and Times of Frederick Douglass, which took a long view of his life's work, the nation's progress, and the work left to do. Although the nation had made great strides during Reconstruction, there was still injustice and a basic lack of freedom for many Americans.
Tragedy struck Douglass's life in 1882 when Anna died from a stroke. He remarried in 1884 to Helen Pitts, an activist and the daughter of former abolitionists. The marriage stirred controversy, as Helen was white and twenty years younger than him. Part of their married life was spent abroad. They traveled to Europe and Africa in 1886-1887, and they took up temporary residence in Haiti during Douglass's service there in 1889-1891.
On February 20, 1895, Douglass attended a meeting for the National Council of Women. He returned home to Cedar Hill in the late afternoon and was preparing to give a speech at a local church when he suffered a heart attack and passed away. Douglass was 77. He had remained a central figure in the fight for equality and justice for his entire life.
A Brief Summary of the Restoration Project, 2004-2007
This $2.7 million project began in March 2004 and concluded in January 2007. It included HVAC system replacement; design and installation of an environmental monitoring system; window repair; shutter replacement; completion of paint and wallpaper study; the purchase and installation of new reproduction historic wallpaper; exterior painting, window rehabilitation and roof replacement on the caretaker’s cottage; mold remediation; painting of the interior and exterior of the Douglass home; design and installation of a fire protection system; rehabilitation of the park road and parking lot; replacement of underground drainage pipes; and assessment of the entire Douglass book collection and conservation of a portion of that collection.
Between March 2004 and January 2007, the National Park Service (NPS) stored the artifacts that were on display in the Douglass home at an off-site facility in order to protect them from damage. While the restoration work occurred, it was difficult to maintain stable temperature and humidity levels. Some of the work (scraping paint, tearing down old wallpaper, painting, etc.) also generated considerable dirt and debris. The artifacts were returned to the home in January 2007. Approximately 70% of the items on display were in the house when Douglass lived there.
The NPS Historic Architecture Program in Lowell, Massachusetts, completed a “paint analysis and wallpaper documentation report” in June 2004. The report identified the historic interior and exterior colors of the Douglass home. The NPS has changed the exterior color from white to the dark beige that appeared beginning in 1892-93. This was the last color that Frederick Douglass painted his house before his death in 1895. The period of significance and interpretation for the Douglass home is circa 1895. There are also adjustments to the interior paint colors and wallpaper patterns and colors to match more closely what would have been in the house circa 1895.
The Douglass Library Collection includes books, monographs, pamphlets, serials, record books, bound government documents, rare photograph albums, and two bound volumes of the abolitionist newspaper that Douglass published himself, entitled, The North Star, and later, Frederick Douglass’ Paper. Many volumes are signed by Douglass or bear his personal bookplate. There are over 2,500 items in the collection. Currently there are about 800 volumes on display in the library of the house. None of the volumes on display have undergone conservation treatment. However, these are the items that are in the best condition, needing only minimal cleaning. There are currently 117 items at the Northeast Document Conservation Center in Andover, Massachusetts, undergoing conservation work. These items are the most historically significant (most have Douglass’ signature in them) and were the ones in the worst shape, hence the reason they were selected for treatment first. The goal is to have all 2500+ items treated.
Contact the Park› Mailing Address:
1411 W Street SE
Washington, DC 20020
(Link: https://www.nps.gov/frdo/learn/historyculture/index.htm)