freedom--must needs rely almost wholly upon his own wit and courage in
making his escape.


From "Frederick Douglass," by Booker T. Washington. Copyright, 1906,
by George W. Jacobs & Company.

Frederick Douglass was born in the little town of Tuckahoe, in Talbot
County, on the eastern shore of Maryland, supposedly in the month of
February, 1817. . . .

Until he was seven years of age, young Fred felt few of the privations
of slavery. In these childhood days he probably was as happy and
carefree as the white children in the "big house." At liberty to come
and go and play in the open sunshine, his early life was typical of the
happier side of the negro life in slavery. What he missed of a
mother's affection and a father's care was partly made up to him by the
indulgent kindness of his good grandmother.

When Fred was between seven and eight years of age his grandmother was
directed by her master to take her grandson to the Lloyd plantation.
After the boy arrived at his new home, he was put in charge of a
slave-woman for whom the only name we know is "Aunt Katy." This change
brought him the first real hardship of his life. As an early
consequence of it, he lost the care and guidance of his grandmother,
his freedom to play, good food, and that affection which means so much
to a child. When he came under the care of Aunt Katy, he began to feel
for the first time the sting of unkindness. He has given a very
disagreeable picture of this foster-mother. She was a woman of a
hateful disposition, and treated the little stranger from Tuckahoe with