That this denial of rights to us is because of our color, only as color is a badge of condition, is manifest in the fact that no matter how decently dressed or well-behaved a colored man may be, he is denied civil treatment in the ways thus pointed out, unless he comes as a servant.
Douglass highlights the systemic racism that denies civil rights based solely on skin color, regardless of an individual's behavior or appearance.
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More from Frederick Douglass
Land is not worth much where there are no people to occupy it, and a mule is not worth much where there is no one to drive him.
The laws which determine the destinies of individuals and nations are impartial and eternal.
I believed I should get enough to eat at Covey’s, even if I suffered in other respects, and this to a hungry man is not a prospect to be regarded with indifference.
True it is that this faith was many times shaken by passing events, but never destroyed.