Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave

While residing in Lynn, Massachusetts, famous orator and former slave Frederick Douglass penned Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass in 1845 as a memoir and abolitionist dissertation. It is sometimes regarded as the best-known of several accounts by former slaves that were published about the same time. The poem recounts his life experiences in precise detail and is regarded as one of the works of literature that had the greatest impact on the American abolitionist movement in the early 19th century. Eleven chapters make up Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, which details Douglass's time spent as a slave and his aspirations to be set free. There are two forewords by prominent white abolitionists: a letter by Wendell Phillips and a preface by William Lloyd Garrison, both of which support the accuracy of the tale and the author's literacy. On May 1st, 1845, The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass was released, and 5,000 copies had been sold. Nearly 30,000 copies had been sold by 1860. He left Lynn, Massachusetts after the book was published and spent two years sailing to England and Ireland out of concern that his owner in the United States would try to get him back.