Frederick Douglass (c. February 1818-February 20, 1895) was a leader for African-American social reform, orator, and statesman. Born a slave, he fled from his master in 1838 and wrote of his slavery experiences in his influential autobiography, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave. He founded the antislavery newspaper, the North Star, and led a successful campaign against segregated schools in Rochester, New York.