Abolition, or the abolitionist movement, was a movement that sought to end slavery. After Douglass escaped to the North, he became a prominent abolitionist, advocating for the end of slavery. His autobiography was one of the methods he used to promote the abolitionist cause.

Douglass worked as a caulker in the Baltimore shipyards. To caulk is to waterproof something, in this case ships. When he arrived in New Bedford, Douglass could not find work as a caulker because of racism.

Chattel refers to human beings who are considered property or personal possessions. Enslaved people were considered the chattel of enslavers.

The Columbian Orator is collection of speeches and plays edited by Caleb Bingham and originally published in 1797. Douglass was inspired by the speeches he read and used them to develop his own lectures and rhetorical style.

The Compromise of 1850 was a series of five laws that included changes to the Fugitive Slave Act. The law compelled all citizens to assist in the capture of self-emancipated people while denying enslaved people the right to a jury trial. It also abolished the slave trade in Washington, DC.

An overseer was someone who watched enslaved people on the plantation and disciplined them. Douglass describes several overseers in the text, including Edward Covey, who had a reputation for cruelty.

The Underground Railroad was a network of routes and safe houses that helped enslaved people escape to freedom in the North and Canada. It was established in the early 19th century and at its peak helped 1,000 people escape per year. Douglass criticized the public nature of the Underground Railroad, arguing that it drew the attention of enslavers and made them more afraid that the people they’d enslaved would run off.