Frederick Douglass: “It was not so much the need of the union, as the need of himself, that…”

On the recordJanuary 1, 1881

It was not so much the need of the union, as the need of himself, that he should speak; the time when the union needed him, and all others, was when the slaveholding rebellion raised its defiant head, not when as now, that head was in the dust and ashes of defeat and destruction.

Said by

Frederick Douglass

Source

gutenberg.org

Editor's note · Context

Critiquing a public figure's belated support for the Union, Douglass emphasizes the importance of courage and commitment during times of genuine crisis.

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Frederick Douglass: “It was not so much the need of the union, as the need of himself, that he should speak; the time when the union needed…”

Editor's note · Context