Political Quotes

Frederick Douglass: It was not my enslavement, at the then present time, that most affected me; the being a slave for life, was the saddest…

On the recordJanuary 1, 1855
It was not my enslavement, at the then present time, that most affected me; the being a slave for life, was the saddest thought.
Said by
Frederick Douglass

Editor's note · Context

Douglass reflects on the profound psychological burden of slavery, emphasizing that the permanence of his bondage was his deepest sorrow.

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We are no longer four millions of slaves, but six millions of freemen.

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