But, there is this difference in the two extremes; viz: that in the case of the slave, the miseries and hardships of his lot are imposed by others, and, in the master’s case, they are imposed by himself.
From his autobiography, this passage reflects on the differing sources of suffering for the enslaved person and the enslaver.
Share
More from Frederick Douglass
We could not but believe that there existed at the South a latent and powerful Union sentiment which would assert itself at last.
I wished it was possible I could remain small all my life, knowing that the sooner I grew large the shorter would be my time to remain with them.
The good to be sought and the evil to be shunned were flung in the balance and weighed against each other.