Highlandtown in Baltimore, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Historic Canton
The Frederick Douglass North Star Escape Trail
1. The Frederick Douglass North Star Escape Trail Marker
The escape of Frederick Douglass in 1998 from slavery in Maryland was successfully carried out by Douglass jumping aboard the Philadelphia Wilmington and Baltimore train (PW&B RR) just as it was pulling out of the train depot in Canton. Douglass was destined to become the foremost orator and militant abolitionist leader, forever agitating the American conscience to do righteousness.
"My part has been to tell the story of the slave, the story of the master never wanted for narrators". Douglass understood that the struggle for emancipation and equality demanded forceful persistent and unyielding agitation: his message was always "agitate. Agitate. Agitate!"
Nowhere was this agitation more present than in July 1852 when he was asked to give a July 4th Independence Day speech in Rochester, New York and shocked the assembled crowd there when he demanded "What to the American slave is your fourth of July 1776? The conscience of the nation must be roused that all men are not created equal, and the hypocrisy of the nation needs to be exposed."
It was Douglass’s later influence on President Lincoln that helped shape the Emancipation Proclamation in 1883 bringing freedom to all African Americans. Today emancipation is celebrated on June 19th (Juneteenth Day) each year.
"The strugglegoes on if there is no struggle there is no progress. Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will."
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Frederick Douglass
Erected 2021 by The Canton Community Association.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Abolition & Underground RR • African Americans • Railroads & Streetcars. A significant historical year for this entry is 1898.
Location. 39° 16.673′ N, 76° 33.857′ W. Marker is in Baltimore, Maryland. It is in Highlandtown. Marker is on Eaton Street south of Toone Street, on the left when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 3802 Boston St, Baltimore MD 21224, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. The Old Police Station (approx. 0.2 miles away); a different marker also named Historic Canton (approx. 0.3 miles away); a different marker also named Historic Canton (approx. 0.4 miles away); The Canton Library (approx. half a mile away); Korean War Memorial (approx. half a mile away); a different marker also named Historic Canton (approx. half a mile away); a different marker also named Historic Canton (approx. half a mile away); Honor Roll (approx. 0.6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Baltimore.
Credits. This page was last revised on December 23, 2023. It was originally submitted on December 22, 2023. This page has been viewed 54 times since then and 20 times this year. Photo 1. submitted on December 22, 2023. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
Editor’s want-list for this marker. A wide shot of the marker in context. • Can you help?
