Frederick Douglass was an African American social reformer, abolitionist, orator, and writer. After escaping from slavery in Maryland, he became a national leader of the abolitionist movement, famous for his dazzling oratory and incisive antislavery writings. His first autobiography, 'Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave,' became a bestseller and was influential in turning Northern public opinion against slavery. Douglass's life disproved the racist arguments of the time that enslaved people lacked the intellectual capacity to function as independent American citizens. During the Civil War, he advised President Abraham Lincoln and was instrumental in the recruitment of African American soldiers for the Union Army. After the war, he continued to fight for the rights of women and the recently emancipated. He was the first African American nominated for Vice President of the United States as the running mate of Victoria Woodhull on the Equal Rights Party ticket.