The idea of truth became the main theme in Frederick's later speeches, debates, and interviews in the north. .
The more he read, the more he hated those who believed in slavery. He sometimes felt that this blessing was a curse. He envied the other slaves for their stupidity. They were blind to so many of the evils of their masters.
So he decided to teach them. When he was sixteen years old, Frederick devoted his Sundays to secretly teaching his fellow slaves how to read. This lasted about a year, and his class had grown to forty students before they were found out. Severe punishment obviously followed, but no amount of lashings could revoke the seeds that had already been planted. Frederick was so happy for what he had done. He wanted more. He wanted to be his own master, and he knew that they all deserved it.
In 1835, his first attempt at freedom was unsuccessful . But he "remained firm, and, according to my resolution, on the third day of September, 1838, I left my chains and succeeded in reaching New York without the slightest interruption of any kind" (Douglass 74). .
In New York , Frederick dropped his two middle names and changed his last name to Douglass to avoid capture (Scruggs). For if an escaped southern slave was found in the north, he was then sent back to his master, which was an unimaginable personal shame and public punishment. In New York, he also met a man named Mr. David Ruggles, who took him to his boarding house, along with other fugitive slaves. Mr. Ruggles was deeply committed to the abolition movement, and kindly fetched a reverend to marry Douglass to his true love, Anna Murray. He then advised the newly married couple to travel further north to Massachusetts, for they would be much safer there.
Douglass traveled to New Bedford, Massachusetts, and found employment three days after his arrival "stowing a sloop with a load of oil" (Douglass 79). He was so proud to finally work for himself, to be his own master, and take home the whole of his hard earned wages.
