7 Interesting facts about Frederick Douglass
Was a licensed preacher
While Douglass is most remembered for his political activism, especially in favor of the abolition of slavery, the prominent orator was also licensed lay preacher.
In 1839, when Douglass was around 22 years old, he was given a license to preach from the Quarterly Conference of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church.
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“He often preached in the pulpit of not only his church, but also nearby churches,” wrote historian Lenwood G. Davis. “The experience that he received was invaluable to him later in life.”
“Moreover, it is a fact that most of our past and present day black leaders received their early training in traditional black churches.”
Douglass became a member of the AME Church, choosing them over the predominantly white Methodist Church due to experiencing discrimination in the denomination, according to Davis.
