This is the story of Frederick Douglass, a Negro slave who became one of the spearheads of emancipation, a forthright spokesman for his people. The story starts with his early years as a slave; then his escape to New England, his friendship with great men and women- Lincoln, Garrison, John Brown, and- in Europe- O'Connell, Peel, Cobden, Bright; and the part he played in the cause of freedom.