Traveling Freedom's Road: Frederick Douglass in Maryland Kindle Edition

How well do Americans know Frederick Douglass?Posed in the book’s first sentence, that question is now asked of you. How well do you know this immensely consequential American?An important goal of this book is to help readers know this heroic figure better by not only offering efficiently built, two-day, self-directed tours of both the Eastern Shore and Baltimore but also by relating Douglass’s connections to over four dozen recommended stops. Equally important is the inclusion of a short selection from Douglass's autobiographies, his speeches, or his journalism at every stop. These Douglass Speaks segments connect in some way to each location and help the reader know Douglass better.Born Frederick Bailey on Maryland’s Eastern Shore in 1818, his first thoughts of escaping his bondage came as a young boy when his home was the Lloyd plantation on the Wye River. Later, as a teenager assigned to work on the farm of William Freeland, his plot to lead a group of enslaved friends to freedom was thwarted, landing him in an Easton jail. Finally, at age twenty, his dreams of freedom were realized when, disguised as a sailor, he boarded a northbound train from the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad depot close to the Fell’s Point section of Baltimore.The locations of the former Lloyd plantation, the Freeland farm, and the Easton jail on the Eastern Shore and the erstwhile train depot in Baltimore are all recommended stops pinpointed in this book. So are dozens of other destinations on the Eastern Shore and Baltimore. Each one, in various ways and at different times in Douglass’s life, links either directly or indirectly with the great man’s life in Maryland.Travelers, whether actual or armchair, connect with some aspect of Douglass's life at each recommended stop. The relevant Douglass Speaks readings from his vast and moving writings or from his powerful oratory further connect readers with his thoughts on the people and places of his life. These selections include many meaningful, often life-changing events he experienced as well as his powerful views on topics ranging from religious hypocrisy to the importance of arming Black soldiers during the Civil War.A fifteen-page chronology of Douglass’s momentous life, from the fact that his family tree in America predates the Revolution to his death in 1895, aids learning about events in Douglass’s life falling outside of the Maryland focus of the book. In addition, specific destinations covered in the book are identified in the chronology to bring clarity to the sometimes confusing, back-and-forth moves between the Eastern Shore and Baltimore that Frederick’s enslaved condition caused the young man to undergo.Richly illustrated and professionally designed, Traveling Freedom’s Road: Frederick Douglass in Maryland, combines the power of place with this important American’s inspiring history and powerful words to provide readers the means to know Douglass better.Traveling Freedom’s Road: Frederick Douglass in Maryland is the author's second book. The first, Traveling Freedom’s Road: A Guide to Exploring Our Civil Rights History, combines sharing the history of the civil rights movement with detailed travel advice on better understanding that movement through travel.Traveling Freedom’s Road: A Guide to Exploring Our Civil Rights History was selected as the best nonfiction travel book in the 2022 Best Indie Book Awards competition. In 2023, the book was named the best book in the African American History/Culture category by the Next Generation Indie Book Awards. Dr. Terrance Roberts, a member of the Little Rock Nine, praised the book saying, "“For most of us there will be moments of “Aha!” or … even “Why haven’t I heard of this?” This enhanced guide will … excite your spirit of inquiry. … Such a book is sorely needed!” Read more