Causes of the Civil War: Frederick DouglassBorn a slave and fathered by an unknown white man, "Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey" was born in Maryland around 1818. He was raised by his grandparents and with an aunt, having only seen his mother a few times before her death. It was during this time that he witnessed the cruelty of the institution of slavery: whippings, exposure to the elements, and starvation. At the age of eight he went to Baltimore, and there his master's kind wife taught him to read and write. When recounting the move later in life, he said, "Going to live in Baltimore laid the foundation and opened the door to all my later prosperity." » Typically, slave owners prevented slaves from becoming literate. And Douglass's master often punished his wife for teaching the slaves the alphabet because it made them disobedient. Slavery means you must remain ignorant, but freedom means you have been enlightened. He would struggle, but he knew that knowledge was more than power, it was freedom. After escaping slavery on September 3, 1838 and fleeing to New York, he joined various abolitionist groups and in 1841 he met white abolitionist leader William Lloyd Garrison, who later became his mentor. Despite many apprehensions that publishing his story would endanger his life as a free man, Douglass published his autobiography, Account of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, Written by Himself, in 1845. After becoming more independent of Garrison, he spoke out against his They believed the Constitution was pro-slavery and asserted that it could "be used in the name of emancipation", where the federal government had exclusive jurisdiction. Douglass d...... middle of paper ...... by war and fight more viciously. Lincoln was careful not to underestimate his Southern enemies and sternly advised the American public not to become too confident: "Let us not be too bloody at the thought of a quick final triumph." Let us apply the means diligently, never doubting that just God, in His time, will give us the right result. The Siege of Vicksburg was in many ways the hardest blow to the South, as they lost control of the river and communication with their western territories. In many ways, it was the day when I believe most Southern soldiers believed the war was over, and with Sherman's march, the psychological impact was devastating. Without their beliefs, without their way of life, they had no reason to fight, and no reason to continue fighting, because if Old Dixie could fall, so could anyone else...