Cobblestone American History and Current Events for Kids and Children

Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey never knew his birth date or who his father was. He saw his mother only four or five times after he was separated from her as an infant. When he was seven, his mother became ill and died, but no one told Frederick

Frederick Bailey felt his shoulders relax but only a little. The 20-year-old had just bought a train ticket. The train conductor was in a hurry, so the papers “proving” Frederick was a sailor, along with the sailor uniform he wore, satisfied him. Onl

Thomas Auld wanted to teach Fred Bailey a lesson. Fred refused to be a submissive enslaved boy. So, Auld loaned him out to Edward Covey, a man with a reputation as a cruel slave breaker. Covey overworked Fred then beat him. Fred was given less and le

Newly freed in 1838, Frederick Douglass quickly decided that he could not be content until the dream of freedom came true for all Americans. His ability to read and write became his most powerful weapon in his lifelong fight against slavery and preju

Frederick Douglass leaned over the railing of the ship bound for Great Britain. It was August 1845. Douglass had fled from an enslaved life seven years earlier. He was fleeing again to avoid being captured and returned to the slaveholder who claimed

Three hundred people filled Wesleyan Chapel in Seneca Falls, New York, on July 19, 1848. They were there to attend the first women’s rights convention. With a handful of female friends, Elizabeth Cady Stanton had organized the convention and had draf

Frederick Douglass was intrigued by what he heard about white abolitionist John Brown. So, when Brown invited Douglass to his home in Springfield, Massachusetts, in November 1847, Douglass accepted. Douglass later described Brown’s bluish-gray eyes a

Sojourner Truth (1797–1883) was born into slavery in New York but escaped to freedom with her youngest child in 1826. In 1828, she took the daring action to sue for the return of her enslaved son—and won the case against a white man. Two decades late

Frederick Douglass was pleased when Abraham Lincoln was elected president in 1860. Of the three main candidates campaigning for the office, Lincoln was the only one who had spoken out against slavery. But Douglass was disappointed by Lincoln’s inaugu

Frederick Douglass experienced a rebirth as a moral crusader in the final years of his life. His sense of outrage deepened as the federal government failed to honor its promise to help Black Americans achieve political equality. In particular, his do

Kevin Bryant (LEFT) has always loved history. And as a National Park Service (NPS) ranger at the Frederick Douglass National Historic Site in Washington, D.C., he gets to share history as it happened, where it happened. Bryant talked with COBBLESTONE

Can you solve this crossword puzzle about the many people who played a part in Frederick Douglass’s life? All the answers can be found in this issue. The solution is on page 49. 3. Julia _____ traveled from Great Britain to help Frederick Douglass

After he was born in 1818, Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey was separated from his enslaved mother, Harriet Bailey, and sent to live with his enslaved grandmother. His grandmother’s job on the plantation on Maryland’s Eastern Shore was to care fo

Frederick Douglass is not the only former enslaved person to become a famous abolitionist and activist. Take a look. Like Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman (1822–1913) was born enslaved in Maryland. Also like Douglass, she was determined to be free.

Enslavement has happened throughout human history. Here are three people who, similar to Frederick Douglass, escaped slavery and wrote about their experiences. In 1803, a British ship arrived in Nootka Sound, British Columbia. While trading with the

A slave is a “person bound in servitude as the property of another.” The word’s roots go back to the Medieval Latin Sclavus. Sclavus is a reference to “Slavs.” Slavs are members of a Slavic-speaking people in Eastern Europe. In the Middle Ages, many

For the last 23 years of his life, Frederick Douglass lived in Washington, D.C. This photo captures his library in Cedar Hill. This former enslaved person who was denied an education but who taught himself to read and write owned more than 1,000 book

Citizenship is the promise of a better tomorrow and a greater future. Citizenship is the promise of hope and a gateway of opportunity. Citizenship is the promise that if you work hard enough, you can achieve your wildest dreams. Citizenship is the pr

This month’s mystery hero may be one of the most beloved people in all of world history because of the example he set. He was a great leader at a difficult time for the United States. Our hero grew up on the American frontier. He had daily chores to

We’re looking for a funny caption for this photo. Send your idea, name, and address to: Just for Fun, COBBLESTONE, 1 East Erie Street, Suite 525, PMB4136, Chicago, IL 60611, or email it to cobblestone@cricketmedia.com. Include a note from a parent or

The Chesapeake Bay retriever gets its name from the place where the dog was first bred in the early 1800s: Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay. A medium-sized dog, it has a short-haired, oily coat that has waves to it. The coat is waterproof, which came in han