Frederick Douglass, Ship Caulker
Program: Shipbuilding / Marine Fabrication
Frederick Douglass, Ship Caulker
1818–1895 · Baltimore. Before he was an orator, author and statesman, he was a caulker in the shipyards of Fells Point.
The trade. Caulkers drove oakum into the seams of wooden hulls with mallet and iron, then sealed them with pitch, making a ship watertight.
The shipyard. In 1836 he was hired out as an apprentice; white apprentices beat him badly. He went on to caulk at another yard, earning wages his enslaver took.
The escape. In 1838 he left Baltimore by train dressed as a sailor, carrying a free seaman's papers, and reached New York.
The trade and freedom. A skill, a wage and knowledge of the waterfront helped make his escape possible.
Hall of Makers · a historical maker until local oral histories are recorded. Scan for the full story.
YKTVZKreading