Handbill for a performance by the Fisk Jubilee Singers

Frederick Douglass was born in 1808 as Frederick August Washington Bailey, the son of an enslaved woman and possibly her white enslaver in Maryland. Douglass emancipated himself at the age of 20. Over the course of his life, he shared his experiences of enslavement in three autobiographies. Douglass was a leader of the abolition movement, fighting against slavery through speeches and writings. He passed away in 1874 at his home in Washington D.C. The Fisk Jubilee Singers were an African American a capella ensemble established at Fisk University in 1871, known for singing spirituals. In 2002, the Library of Congress honored their 1909 recording of "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" by adding it in the United States National Recording Registry. The song on this handbill was written by Frederick Douglass while he was enslaved. The other side of the handbill has a letter from Samuel Clemens, better known as Mark Twain, about how much he enjoyed the Singers' performances. Help us transcribe this handbill and learn more about music's importance in America's history.