Frederick Douglass

Lesson Procedure:

Print the reading comprehension passage and questions (see below).

Students should read the passage silently, then answer the questions. Teachers may also use the text as part of a classroom lesson plan.

Lesson Excerpt:

In 1818, Frederick Douglass was born a slave in Maryland. When he was just a baby, he was taken from his mother. He was never sure who his father was. When he was born, he was owned by a man named Aaron Anthony. He was later given to a woman name Lucretia Auld who sent him to Baltimore to serve her brother-in-law, Hugh Auld. Hugh Auld’s wife broke the law by teaching twelve-year-old Frederick some letters of the alphabet. After that, Frederick learned to read from some of the white children in the neighborhood. His owner was very angry about this, believing that if slaves learned to read, they would become unhappy with their condition and would want to be free!

Continued...