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[edit] June 22, 2006

Frederick Douglass (February 14¹, 1818 – February 20, 1895) was an American abolitionist, editor, orator, author, statesman and reformer. Called "The Sage of Anacostia" and "The Lion of Anacostia," Douglass was among the most prominent African Americans of his time, and one of the most influential lecturers and authors in American history. Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey, who later became known as Frederick Douglass, was born a slave in Talbot County, Maryland near Hillsboro. He was separated from his mother, Harriet Bailey, when he was still an infant. She died when Douglass was about seven years old. The identity of Douglass' father is obscure; Douglass originally stated that his father was a white man, perhaps his master, Captain Aaron Anthony, but later said that he knew nothing of his father's identity. When Anthony died, Douglass was given to Mrs. Lucretia Auld, wife of Captain Thomas Auld; the young man was sent to Baltimore to serve the Captain's brother, Hugh Auld. When Douglass was about twelve, Hugh Auld's wife, Sophia, broke the law by teaching Douglass some letters of the alphabet. Thereafter, as detailed in his Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave (published in 1845), Douglass succeeded in learning to read from white children in the neighborhood in which he lived, and by observation of writings of the men with whom he worked. Douglass later referred to the lessons he received from Sophia Auld in his first abolitionist speech. (more...)

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[edit] April 27, 2006

The Washington Metro or simply Metro is the public transportation system of Washington, D.C., and neighboring suburban communities in Maryland and Virginia. In Maryland service is provided in Prince George's County and Montgomery County; in Virginia in Fairfax County, Arlington County, and the City of Alexandria. The Metrorail (subway) system, as well as Metrobus (bus) services, are owned and operated by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) — a multijurisdictional, quasi-governmental agency. WMATA also operates a paratransit service for the disabled called MetroAccess. However, the expression "Metro" usually refers to Metrorail exclusively.

Washington's Metrorail is well known for its design by Chicago architect Harry Weese, which features coffered groin vault and barrel vaults that reflect the neoclassical style of architecture that can arguably be described as the closest thing to an "official" federal style in Washington. Since opening in 1976, the subway network has grown to five lines, consisting of 86 stations and 106 miles (170.5 km) of track. The original plan of 83 stations on 103 miles (165.5 km) was completed on January 13, 2001. Unlike the subway systems in cities such as New York, Metrorail fare is not fixed, but instead varies based on the distance traveled, and the time of day. There were 190 million trips on Metrorail in 2004, meaning about 520,000 passengers use the system every day.^[1] The system is the second busiest in the nation, behind only the New York City Subway. (more...)

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