The young, rebellious Douglass is sent to the brutal “slave breaker,” Edward Covey.

A brilliant orator, Douglass becomes famous for his moving speeches against slavery.

The new law empowers the government to capture and return previously enslaved people.

The filmmakers discuss the life of Frederick Douglass.

Young Frederick Douglass is sent to work in the overseer’s house where he learns to read.

Douglass meets Anna Murray and they plot his escape to the North to build a life together.

Douglass starts the newspaper The North Star, an independent Black voice for abolition.

Douglass uses the power of his image to challenge white stereotypes of African Americans.