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A new statue paying tribute to abolitionist Frederick Douglass has been installed in Judiciary Square.
Crews placed the 850-pound bronze likeness of Douglass in the lobby of One Judiciary Square on 4th Street in northwest Washington on Saturday. Maryland sculptor Steven Weitzman created the piece, which was ordered by the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities. The 7-foot statue features the orator standing by a lectern as he delivers his renowned 1852 speech on slavery and the Fourth of July.
Douglass was born into slavery in Talbot County, Md. around 1817 or 1818. As an adult, his master sent him to work in a Baltimore shipyard before Douglass disguised himself as a sailor to escape north to freedom. His autobiography, published in 1845, was a best-seller that helped fuel the abolitionist movement. After the war, Douglass spoke at Abraham Lincoln's funeral and advocated for women's rights.
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Information from: The Washington Post
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