The slightest manifestation of sympathy or justice toward a person of color, was denounced as abolitionism; and the name of abolitionist, subjected its bearer to frightful liabilities.
From his autobiography, this passage describes the intense social pressure and danger faced by anyone showing empathy or advocating for justice for Black people in the pre-Civil War era.
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More from Frederick Douglass
We (the people of the North) are a charitable people, and in the excess of this feeling we were disposed to put the very best construction upon the strange behavior of our southern brethren.
It had no interest in recognizing or preserving any of the ties that bind families together or to their homes.