By far the larger part of the slaves know as little of their ages as horses know of theirs, and it is the wish of most masters within my knowledge to keep their slaves thus ignorant.
In his autobiography, Douglass describes the systemic denial of personal information to enslaved people, comparing their knowledge of age to that of animals.
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It only abolished slavery where it did not exist, and left it intact where it did exist.
A son of toil himself, he was linked in brotherly sympathy with the sons of toil in every loyal part of the republic.
Lincoln was not only a great President, but a GREAT MAN--too great to be small in anything.
It was perhaps better for the country and for mankind that the good man could not know the end from the beginning.