She knew if she went back, she must be a slave forever—she must be dragged down to the scenes of pollution which the slaveholders continually provide for most of the poor, sinking, wretched young women, whom they call their property.
In his autobiography, Douglass recounts the tragic story of an enslaved woman who chose death over returning to the sexual exploitation inherent in slavery.
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He was called upon not merely to administer the government, but to decide, in the face of terrible odds, the fate of the Republic.
It only abolished slavery where it did not exist, and left it intact where it did exist.
The good to be sought and the evil to be shunned were flung in the balance and weighed against each other.