AllMovie

Actress Alfre Woodard narrates this look at the life of Frederick Douglass, an influential 19th century civil rights activist. As this PBS program unfolds, viewers learn that Douglass was a slave at birth who was taught to read as a young boy by a slave owner's wife. As he grew older and continued his education on his own, Douglass began to see the common threads that tie many civil rights injustices together. He became a member of the Abolitionist movement and was an early supporter of women's rights. Interviews with historians and others clearly indicate that Douglass was a highly persuasive speaker and learned man. He even served as a consultant to President Lincoln during the Civil War. Footage and photos of places where Douglass lived and worked help bring his story to life.