Frederick Douglass
Father of the Civil Rights Movement
A
long time ago
Maybe 1817
Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey
Came into being
He was born a slave
On the Eastern Shore
In Tuckahoe, Maryland
He was a house boy
Frederick learned to read
He learned to write
He had big dreams
But he had no rights
Frederick escaped for freedom
To Massachusetts up north
Gave up his slave name
And settled in Rochester, New York
DOUGLASS was the new name
That Frederick claimed
But an abolitionist and leader
Is what he later became
In New York Douglass conducted
The Underground Railroad to free others
The North Star newspaper
He created and published
Maybe 1817
Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey
Came into being
He was born a slave
On the Eastern Shore
In Tuckahoe, Maryland
He was a house boy
Frederick learned to read
He learned to write
He had big dreams
But he had no rights
Frederick escaped for freedom
To Massachusetts up north
Gave up his slave name
And settled in Rochester, New York
DOUGLASS was the new name
That Frederick claimed
But an abolitionist and leader
Is what he later became
In New York Douglass conducted
The Underground Railroad to free others
The North Star newspaper
He created and published
After the Civil War
Douglass moved on to D.C.
Where he served as U.S.
Marshall
And Minister to Haiti
Frederick Douglass helped to shape
What we now know as history
He sought justice for all
Speaking bold words eloquently
He rose to the occasion
Of defending equal rights
For minorities and women
He was determined to fight
Douglass, the Great Orator,
Is known for many things
Activism, social reform
Writing and publishing
Frederick Douglass believed
In freedom for every man
He envisioned all of America
As a diverse and equal land
He advised U.S. presidents
And received many accolades
But Frederick Douglass is most revered
For helping to free American slaves.
Copyrighted 2004 Latorial D. Faison
from 28 Days of Poetry Celebrating Black History by Latorial Faison
Poetry Workshops by Latorial Faison
www.latorialfaison.com | crosskeyspress@aol.com
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