Political Quotes

Frederick Douglass: He may, if he pleases, cripple or kill, without fear of consequences; except in so far as it may concern profit or loss.

On the recordJanuary 1, 1855
He may, if he pleases, cripple or kill, without fear of consequences; except in so far as it may concern profit or loss.
Said by
Frederick Douglass

Editor's note · Context

Douglass exposes the chilling reality that a slaveholder's power over an enslaved person's life and body is limited only by economic considerations, not moral or legal ones.

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It had no interest in recognizing or preserving any of the ties that bind families together or to their homes.

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It only abolished slavery where it did not exist, and left it intact where it did exist.

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