He was a Civil rights leader that was born in the time of slavery in the 19th Century. When he was young he taught himself how to read and right and turned out to be a freeman. Who is this? Frederick Douglass. He gave up his life to achieve justice for all the Americans. Frederick dreamed of American as a nation of free discrimination. At age 20 he escaped to the north to Newbeunford, Massachusetts. Frederick Douglass worked with Presidents and other important people for the civil rights.