Douglass' abilities came in handy during his escape attempts and later as a campaigner against slavery. Douglass was inspired to learn to read after hearing his master denounce slave education. He claimed that reading rendered a slave "unmanageable" and "discontented" (2054). After the war, he began giving speeches around Maryland advocating for African American rights. The content of these speeches made it necessary for Douglass to write them down. This task alone would have been difficult for someone who had only been learning to read a few years earlier. But things became even more complicated when President Lincoln issued an executive order in August 1862 abolishing slavery in the Confederacy. In response, several southern states passed laws prohibiting any teaching of slaves how to read or write. To avoid being punished by slavery owners, many African Americans stopped learning about their freedom. Those who didn't went into hiding to protect their families from being sold away. The situation became so bad that in 1865 the United States Congress passed a law offering a $30,000 reward for the capture of anyone teaching slaves to read. This effort on behalf of African Americans got the support of several prominent abolitionists including Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony. They believed that literacy was crucial if African Americans were going to get equal treatment under the law. In conclusion, slavery prevented many African Americans from learning how to read.