[dswilkerson]

Fredrick Douglas. Black slave in Maryland. Was taught the alphabet, but that's about all. Taught himself words by going up to white boys and saying "I know more words than you do." The other boy would respond "yea, how about this word and this word and this word?" Fredrick: "oh, wow, you are right."

Seems to have escaped to the North by writing his own papers. Ended up as an absolutely amazing writer. See his autobiography "The Narrative of the Life of Fredrick Douglas, an American Slave." Amazingly well-written.