The fear of God, and the hope of heaven, are found sufficient to sustain many slave-women, amidst the snares and dangers of their strange lot; but, this side of God and heaven, a slave-woman is at the mercy of the power, caprice and passion of her owner.
In his autobiography, Douglass reflects on the spiritual strength that sustained enslaved women while highlighting their complete earthly vulnerability to their owners.
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Treason had shot its poisonous roots deeper, and had spread its death-dealing branches further than any northern calculation had covered.
Our very lack of preparation for the conflict disposed us to look for some other than the way of blood out of the difficulty.
The anti-slavery platform had performed its work, and my voice was no longer needed.