She knew if she went back, she must be a slave forever—she must be dragged down to the scenes of pollution which the slaveholders continually provide for most of the poor, sinking, wretched young women, whom they call their property.
In his autobiography, Douglass recounts the tragic story of an enslaved woman who chose death over returning to the sexual exploitation inherent in slavery.
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It had no interest in recognizing or preserving any of the ties that bind families together or to their homes.
It was perhaps better for the country and for mankind that the good man could not know the end from the beginning.
He was called upon not merely to administer the government, but to decide, in the face of terrible odds, the fate of the Republic.