Frederick Douglass (c. 1818-1895) was an abolitionist, social reformer, orator, and writer. One of the most influential Americans of the nineteenth century, Douglass was known for his rhetorical brilliance. Douglass's first autobiography, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, became an immediate bestseller and was central to the abolitionist movement.

Notable associates and friends of Douglass included William Lloyd Garrison, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, John Brown, and Ida B. Wells.