The people have said in the late election, “We care nothing for your past; but what is your present character and work?” And in rendering judgment they have said, “We see little ground for preferring one to the other.
Douglass notes that voters prioritize current character and work over past actions in their judgments.
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More from Frederick Douglass
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.
The father might be a white man, glorying in the purity of his Anglo-Saxon blood, and his child ranked with the blackest slaves.
The friendless and hungry boy, in his extremest need, found himself in the strong protecting arms of his mother.
The anti-slavery platform had performed its work, and my voice was no longer needed.