The Harem Within
...s taught him the alphabet. He felt that since the first step had been taken, he would go a bit further and obtain some more knowledge. When Douglass was sent on errands, he would always take his book with him. He would finish his errand quickly so that he could have a little time to read before he got back home. He also would carry bread with him, in order to give it to the poor children he saw in the streets, in return for a bit of knowledge. After a while Douglass had begun reading pretty well, so afterwards he decided that he wanted to learn how to write. In the shipyard, Douglass would write the letters he saw written on the ships, on the board fence that was in the shipyard. He soon learned the names of the letters he wrote and for what they were intended when placed upon a piece of timber in the shipyard. Wanting to learn more, Douglass would challenge a boy that he knew could read and write, by writing his letters and saying “I bet you can’t beat that.” This taught him quite a few lessons, too. Douglass felt that if he wouldn’t have started challenging the boy, he never would have learned how to write. After a long tedious effort for years, Douglass finally succeeded in learning to write. Frederick Douglass (1818 – 1895) was an African-American abolitionist, orator, and writer. Douglass, a born a slave in Maryland learned at a young age how to read and write which was a major accomplishment since it was against the law to teach a slave how to read. Later, Douglass escaped from his master and fled to the North with Anna Murray, a free black woman, whom he later married. Alone in New York, Frederick soon realized that although he was free, he was not free of cares. Through word of mouth on the street, Frederick learned that southern slave catchers were roaming the city looking for fugitives in boarding houses that accepted blacks. He learned that no one, black or white, could be trusted. After finding out this news, Frederick wandered around the city for days, afraid to look for employment or a place to live. Finally, he told an honest-looking black sailor about his predicament. The man took him to David Ruggles, an officer in the New York Vigilance Committee. Ruggles and his associates were the City's link in the underground rail road, a network of people who harbored runaway slaves and helped transport them to safe areas in the United States and Canada. Secure f...