They want the hatchway shut down, that the monster may crawl in his den of darkness, crushing human hopes and happiness, destroying the bondman at will, and having no one to reprove or rebuke him.
From his autobiography, Douglass describes the desire of slaveholders to conceal the true nature of slavery from public scrutiny.
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My grandmother was all the world to me, and the thought of being separated from her was a most unwelcome suggestion to my affections and hopes.
The anti-slavery platform had performed its work, and my voice was no longer needed.