"My Bondage and My Freedom", by Frederick Douglass. Here are some of the remarkable features of Barnes & Noble Classics: - New introductions commissioned from today's top writers and scholars - Biographies of the authors - Chronologies of contemporary historical, biographical, and cultural events - Footnotes and endnotes - Selective discussions of imitations, parodies, poems, books, plays, paintings, operas, statuary, and films inspired by the work - Comments by other famous authors - Study questions to challenge the readers viewpoints and expectations - Bibliographies for further reading - Indices & Glossaries, when appropriate. Born a slave, Frederick Douglas educated himself, escaped, and became one of the greatest social leaders in American history. Although usually identified with the monumental "Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave", Douglass produced two additional autobiographies, the second of which he called "My Bondage and My Freedom". A richer, deeper, and far more ambiguous work than the earlier Narrative, "My Bondage and My Freedom" reveals Douglass's increased intellectual sophistication and maturity. In the decade that had elapsed since Douglass wrote Narrative, he had broken away from his antislavery mentors, successfully toured England, and established himself as an inspired speaker and writer. With the publication of "My Bondage and My Freedom" in 1855, Douglass became the country's foremost spokesman for American blacks, free and enslaved, during the tense and politically charged years preceding the Civil War.