Some of these peace propositions would have been shocking to the last degree to the moral sense of the North, had not fear for the safety of the Union overwhelmed all moral conviction.
Reflecting on the period before the Civil War, Douglass observes how fear for the Union's safety overshadowed moral principles in the North.
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A son of toil himself, he was linked in brotherly sympathy with the sons of toil in every loyal part of the republic.
The laws which determine the destinies of individuals and nations are impartial and eternal.
He was called upon not merely to administer the government, but to decide, in the face of terrible odds, the fate of the Republic.