Pen and inkwell used by Frederick Douglass

This pen and inkwell belonged to Frederick Douglass, a former slave and prominent advocate for equality, citizenship, and voting rights for over 50 years. To escape slavery, Douglass borrowed papers from a free Black sailor and anxiously boarded a train from Baltimore to Philadelphia. He quickly gained fame as a writer and speaker, and his friends later purchased his freedom.

LI-2019-11.03 (pen)
LI-2019-11.02 (inkwell)