Political Quotes

On the record
England, earnestly and zealously occupied in rallying the physical, moral, and intellectual energies of the civilized world against the African slave-trade, had scarcely yet discovered that it was but an instrument, and in truth a mitigation, of the great, irremissible wrong of slavery.
Said by
Josiah Quincy
Federalist · Massachusetts

Editor's note · Context

Quincy critiques England's focus on the slave trade while overlooking the broader issue of slavery itself as a fundamental wrong.

Share

More from Josiah Quincy

He regarded the constitution of the United States to be one of limited powers; and he declared that he could not reconcile it to his judgment that the authority exercised in this section was within the legitimate powers conferred by the…

gutenberg.org

If there is a Bostonian who ever sailed from his own harbor for distant lands, or returned to it from them, without feelings, at the sight of the Blue Hills, which he is unable to express, his heart is differently constituted from mine.

gutenberg.org

This rendered it more unavoidable that the remainder of the continent should ultimately be ours.

gutenberg.org

The rigor of her system already begins to relax, and one year of war to her and peace to us will be more favorable to our interests, and to the final establishment of our principles, than could possibly be effected by twenty years of…

gutenberg.org

Other voices in this conversation