A fatal spirit of temporizing, however, seized the nation at these points; and although the slave-trade was, largely for political reasons, forbidden, slavery was left untouched.
W.E.B. Du Bois: “A fatal spirit of temporizing, however, seized the nation at these points; and although the slave-trade was, largely for…”
Editor's note · Context
Du Bois discusses the political compromises that allowed slavery to persist despite the abolition of the slave trade.
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Let the ears of a guilty people tingle with truth, and seventy millions sigh for the righteousness which exalteth nations, in this drear day when human brotherhood is mockery and a snare.
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