This classic of American literature, a dramatic autobiography of the early life of an American slave, was first published in 1845, when its author had just achieved his freedom. Its shocking first-hand account of the horrors of slavery became an international best seller. His eloquence led Frederick Douglass to become the first great African-American leader in the United States. This special bicentennial re-release of the original edition includes the "Frederick Douglass Bicentennial Commission Act'' enacted by Congress in 2017: - Douglass rose through determination, brilliance and eloquence to shape the American Nation. - He was an abolitionist, human rights and women's rights activist, orator, author, journalist, publisher and social reformer. - His personal relationship with Abraham Lincoln helped persuade the President to make emancipation a cause of the Civil War.