The crown of martyrdom is high, far beyond the reach of ordinary mortals, and yet happily no special greatness or superior moral excellence is necessary to discern and in some measure appreciate a truly great soul.
Douglass reflects on the nature of martyrdom and the recognition of great souls.
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Father he might be, and not be husband, and could sell his own child without incurring reproach, if in its veins coursed one drop of African blood.
The laws which determine the destinies of individuals and nations are impartial and eternal.
The sentiment that brings us here to-day is one of the noblest that can stir and thrill the human heart.
His iron sentences, cold and harsh, sunk like heavy weights deep into my heart, and stirred up within me a rebellion not soon to be allayed.