Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass

In Chapter 1 Douglass recounts the few details he knows about his early life. Frederick Douglass was born in Tuckahoe, Maryland. Douglass’s mother was Harriet Bailey, the daughter of Isaac and Betsey Bailey. Douglass’s mother had a very dark complexion, but his father was a white man, believed to be the enslaver. Douglass was separated from his mother when he was an infant, which was a common custom in Maryland. Children were taken away from their mothers before they turned one and placed in the care of an older woman who no longer did field labor. The mothers were then sent to another farm at some distance away, and Douglass’s mother was placed on a farm 12 miles away. She died when he was seven years old, and he was unable to see her during her illness, death, or funeral. Douglass does not know his age or his birthday, which was common among enslaved people. In contrast, white children knew their ages. It bothers Douglass that he does not know basic information about his origins. His best estimate is that he was between 27 and 28 when he wrote his autobiography, which is based on an enslaver saying he was 17 in 1835.