Frederick Douglass: an in depth look into the life of a great man Robert B. Kurt Young History 112 Spring 2001 The molding of Frederick Douglass How did the early years of Frederick Douglass" life affect the beliefs of the man he would become? Frederick Douglass" adulthood was one of triumph and prestige. Still, he by no means gained virtue without struggle and conflict. There was great opposition and hostility towards him. To fully understand all of his thoughts and beliefs, first one must look at his childhood. Frederick Augustus Bailey was born in February of 1818 to a black field hand named Harriet. He grew up on the banks of the Tuckahoe Creek deep within the woods of Maryland. Separated from his mother at an early age, he was raised by his grandparents Betsy and Isaac Bailey. Isaac and Betsy were not thought to be of relation. Isaac was a free man and a sawyer, while Betsy was an owned slave, but she kept her own rules. Her owner trusted her to watch over and raise the children of the slaves until they were old enough to begin their labor. She was allowed to keep her own cabin, and to farm food for the children and herself. It was not an easy job. While all of the mothers were busy working in the fields of their master, Aaron Anthony, she was busy watching over their infants. Betsy Bailey was quite a woman. She was a master fisher, and spent most of her days in the river or in the field farming. She was very intelligent and physically able bodied. Most historians credit Frederick's intelligence to his extraordinary grandmother. At the age of six, Frederick's carefree days of running and playing in the fields came to an abrupt end. He was taken away from his grandmother to begin the toil and sweat of the field workers. Here he joined his older brother and sisters, Perry, Sarah and Eliza in the fields of Edward Lloyd. The slave head in charge of Frederick was the cruel cook, Aunt Katy.
