Frederick Douglass

There were, of course, no conflicting rights of property, for all the people were the property of one man, and they could themselves own no property.

The criminal was always dumb--and no slave was allowed to testify, other than against his brother slave.

He was generally accuser, judge, jury, advocate, and executioner.

The fact is, public opinion in such a quarter, the reader must see, was not likely to be very efficient in protecting the slave from cruelty.

In view of this fact, I am happy to attribute any love of letters I may have, not to my presumed Anglo-Saxon paternity, but to the native genius of my sable, unprotected, and uncultivated mother--a woman who belonged to a race whose mental…

That a field-hand should learn to read in any slave State is remarkable, but the achievements of my mother, considering the place and circumstances, was very extraordinary.

I can therefore fondly and proudly ascribe to her, an earnest love of knowledge.

To me it has ever been a grief that I knew my mother so little, and have so few of her words treasured in my remembrance.

I was grander upon my mother’s knee than a king upon his throne.

That night I learned as I had never learned before, that I was not only a child, but somebody’s child.

The friendless and hungry boy, in his extremest need, found himself in the strong protecting arms of his mother.

I wished it was possible I could remain small all my life, knowing that the sooner I grew large the shorter would be my time to remain with them.