Frederick Douglass: “When you can point to any such laws, in reference to the beasts of the…”

On the record

When you can point to any such laws, in reference to the beasts of the field, then I may consent to argue the manhood of the slave.

Said by

Frederick Douglass

Source

Douglass emphasizes the absurdity of arguing for the humanity of enslaved individuals when laws do not recognize their rights.

More from Frederick Douglass

Jan 1, 1881

He was called upon not merely to administer the government, but to decide, in the face of terrible odds, the fate of the Republic.

Jan 1, 1881

But we are not here to applaud manly courage, save as it has been displayed in a noble cause.

Jan 1, 1881

Land is not worth much where there are no people to occupy it, and a mule is not worth much where there is no one to drive him.

Jan 1, 1881

The sentiment that brings us here to-day is one of the noblest that can stir and thrill the human heart.

Frederick Douglass: “When you can point to any such laws, in reference to the beasts of the field, then I may consent to argue the manhood of…”