Frederick Douglass

• Frederick Douglass, born a slave in 1818, learned to read and write at the age of eight by giving his food away to the neighborhood boys, who in turn taught him the intricacies of reading and writing. After escaping from slavery at the age of 20, he became a staunch abolitionist who fought slavery with pen and paper by publishing his own newspaper and writing three autobiographies focusing on the ills associated with slavery.
  
  

Sojourner Truth

• Sojourner Truth, born Isabella Baumfree, gained the name Sojourner Truth because of her role as a traveler telling the truth about the evils and destructiveness of slavery. After her freedom was bought for just $25, she went on a sort of truth-telling mission, telling all who would listen of the horrors she experienced as a slave. These speaking sessions were so emotionally moving that audiences were often brought to tears.
  
  

Harriet Tubman

• Name "Moses" for her freedom missions using the Underground Railroad, Harriet Tubman led many slaves to freedom during her daring and dangerous excursions. She longed so much for freedom that she started the Underground Railroad after escaping from slavery, leaving a hesitant husband behind. She began by returning to slave territory and rescuing her sister from bondage. After this successful attempt, she was compelled to continue her perilous pursuit to free others.
  
  

Benjamin Banneker

• Benjamin Banneker stood out as an astute and intelligent man of great dignity and character. He had very little formal education but assisted in the surveying of land in the Eastern United States. He created his own almanac for the states of Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland and Virginia, which was published from 1792 through 1797. He corresponded continually with Thomas Jefferson, urging him to work for the abolition of slavery.
  
  

Phillis Wheatley

• Phillis Wheatley, one of the most accomplished writers of the slavery era, is considered the first African American to have published a book, and the first African American woman to earn a living from writing. Because of her undeniable interest in poetry, her slave owners financed the publication of her book of poetry entitled "Poems." Wheatley's success was pervasive, as she was as popular in England as she was in the United States.