Quarter Dollar 2017 Frederick Douglass, Coin from United States - detailed information

The Quarter Dollar is a United States coin worth 25 cents. It has been produced on and off since 1796 and consistently since 1831. From its inception until 1964, the denomination was issued in silver; it underwent several design changes, including finally the silver Washington quarter (1932 - 1964) featuring the first President of the United States on the obverse and the American Eagle clutching a bunch of arrows on the reverse. Initially meant as a one-year design to commemorate 200 years since the birth of George Washington in 1932, the obverse became the definitive design for the denomination and has been used ever since. The reverse was issued in this form until 1998, after which time a large number of circulating commemoratives started being issued instead; the State Quarters series of 50 coins featuring each State was issued from 1999 to 2008; in 2009, a six-coin series represented the District of Columbia and five US territories.

The America the Beautiful Quarters Program (abbreviated ATB) running from 2010 until 2021 was then introduced; it is a 56 quarter-dollar coin series featuring designs depicting national parks and other national sites in each state, federal district or territory.

The Frederick Douglass National Historic Site quarter is the second to be released in 2017 and the 37th overall in the America the Beautiful Quarters Program; it was released on 3 April 2017 and represents the Federal District of Columbia (D.C.).

The Frederick Douglass National Historic Site was established in 1962 to preserve the home and legacy of Frederick Douglass, abolitionist, civil rights advocate, author, and statesman. Douglass lived in this home from 1877 until his death in 1895. Frederick Douglass was born into slavery on a plantation on the Eastern Shore of Maryland in 1818. By fifteen, he was a literate, independent teenager who educated other slaves. In 1838, he disguised himself as a sailor and boarded a train to New York City, where he declared himself a free man.

Douglass turned his efforts to helping those still enslaved. An impressive orator, he travelled across the North speaking against slavery. He wrote his first autobiography in which he revealed his original name, his owner’s names, and his birthplace. In danger of being returned to slavery as a result of this revelation, he fled to the British Isles where he continued to speak against slavery and ultimately, British supporters purchased his freedom.

Douglass returned to the United States, and during the Civil War, recruited African Americans to fight in the Union Army. He continued to write and speak against slavery. He met with Abraham Lincoln to advocate for African American troops and encouraged Lincoln to see the war as a chance to transform the country. Following the Civil War, Douglass moved to his home in Washington, DC. He served as the U.S. Marshal for the District of Columbia, the District’s Recorder of Deeds, and the U.S. Minister to Haiti and Chargé d ‘Affaires to the Dominican Republic. He continued to work to expand civil rights in the country until his death.

Frederick Douglass National Historic Site (DC) Quarter Dollars issued in 2017 have now been in circulation for eight years.