[5] The Fugitive Slave Act passed in 1850, encouraging Douglas to join the growing ranks of black abolitionists who demanded immediate emancipation and complete equality in every sphere of life.
In 1856, he became a proprietor of The Provincial Freeman, a newspaper published in Canada that served the substantial black community there, including many fugitive slaves who had escaped the U.S. via the Underground Railroad.
In 1857, he married Sattira "Sattie" Douglas (née Steele) in Racine, Wisconsin,[7] and the couple made their home in Chicago for the next several years.
In 1862, Douglas defied racial restrictions by enrolling in Company G of the 95th Regiment of Illinois Infantry Volunteers before blacks were permitted to serve.
[7] Douglas was a prominent supporter of the emigration movement, which encouraged blacks to move out of the United States to places like West Africa, Canada, and Central America.