Historical voices

Their ears are made quite familiar with the agonizing cry of outraged and woe-smitted humanity.

For one, I detested the whisky-bloated gamblers in human flesh; and I believe I was as much detested by them in turn.

I felt myself surrounded as by a pack of fiends, fresh from perdition.

Such a set of debased and villainous creatures, I never saw before, and hope never to see again.

How could we regard ourselves as in the right, when all about us denounced us as criminals, and had the power and the disposition to treat us as such.

Such is the power of public opinion, that it is hard, even for the innocent, to feel the happy consolations of innocence, when they fall under the maledictions of this power.

Our confidence in each other was unshaken; and we were quite resolved to succeed or fail together—as much after the calamity which had befallen us, as before.

We were a band of brothers, and never dearer to each other than now.

The cruel injustice, the victorious crime, and the helplessness of innocence, led me to ask, in my ignorance and weakness “Where now is the God of justice and mercy?

It seemed to me (and this shows the good understanding between the slaveholders and their allies) that every body we met knew the cause of our arrest, and were out, awaiting our passing by, to feast their vindictive eyes on our misery and…

Yet there was something almost providential in the resistance made by the gallant Henry.

The fact is, I never see much use in fighting, unless there is a reasonable probability of whipping somebody.

My anxiety arose from a sense of the consequences of failure.

I felt as one may be supposed to feel before being led forth to be executed for some great offense.

Like most other men, we had done the talking part of our work, long and well; and the time had come to act as if we were in earnest, and meant to be as true in action as in words.

It was too late to look back; and now was the time to go forward.

It was easy to resolve, but not so easy to act.

It was truly felt to be a matter of life and death with us; and we fully intended to fight as well as run, if necessity should occur for that extremity.

The glory of success, and the shame and confusion of failure, could not be matters of indifference to me.

To balance probabilities, where life and liberty hang on the result, requires steady nerves.

Any white man is authorized to stop a man of color, on any road, and examine him, and arrest him, if he so desires.

It is precious, alike to the pauper and to the prince—to the slave, and to his master; and yet, I believe there was not one among us, who would not rather have been shot down, than pass away life in hopeless bondage.

The life which he has, may be lost, and the liberty which he seeks, may not be gained.

All that he has is at stake; and even that which he has not, is at stake, also.