On the record
The one held me an abject slave—a prisoner for life, punished for some transgression in which I had no lot nor part; and the other counseled me to manly endeavor to secure my freedom.
Said by
Frederick Douglass
Source
gutenberg.orgFrederick Douglass: “The one held me an abject slave—a prisoner for life, punished for some transgression in which I had no lot nor part; and…”
Editor's note · Context
He contrasts the oppressive reality of slavery with the encouragement to strive for freedom.
Share
More from Frederick Douglass
Jan 1, 1881
Still another ground of hope I find in the fact that colored men are strong in their gratitude to benefactors, and firm in their political convictions.
Jan 1, 1881
The nation or people which shall comply with them will rise, and those which violate them will fall, and perhaps will disappear altogether.
Jan 1, 1881
The vote of the colored man, formerly beaten down and stamped out by intimidation, is now revived, sought, and defended by powerful allies, and this from no transient sentiment of the moment, but from the permanent laws controlling the…