Frederick Douglass: “The usual pretext for killing a slave is, that the slave has offered…”

On the recordJanuary 1, 1855

The usual pretext for killing a slave is, that the slave has offered resistance.

Said by

Frederick Douglass

Source

In his autobiography, Douglass exposes the common excuse used by slaveholders to justify the murder of enslaved individuals.

More from Frederick Douglass

Jan 1, 1881

The anti-slavery platform had performed its work, and my voice was no longer needed.

Jan 1, 1881

It only abolished slavery where it did not exist, and left it intact where it did exist.

Jan 1, 1881

To make a man a slave was to rob him of moral responsibility.

Jan 1, 1881

But we are not here to applaud manly courage, save as it has been displayed in a noble cause.

Frederick Douglass: “The usual pretext for killing a slave is, that the slave has offered resistance.”