In a distracted land where slavery had hardly fallen, to keep the strong from wanton abuse of the weak, and the weak from gloating insolently over the half-shorn strength of the strong, was a thankless, hopeless task.
Reflecting on the challenges faced by the Freedmen's Bureau, this passage describes the inherent difficulty of maintaining order and justice in the post-Civil War South.
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Our song, our toil, our cheer, and warning have been given to this nation in blood-brotherhood.
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