Political Quotes

Frederick Douglass: A mere look, word, or motion,—a mistake, accident, or want of power,—are all matters for which a slave may be whipped at…

On the recordJanuary 1, 1845
A mere look, word, or motion,—a mistake, accident, or want of power,—are all matters for which a slave may be whipped at any time.
Said by
Frederick Douglass

Editor's note · Context

In his autobiography, Douglass details the trivial pretexts slaveholders used to justify whipping enslaved people.

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