Society at large has bound itself, in form and in fact, to assist Master Thomas in robbing me of my rightful liberty, and of the just reward of my labor; therefore, whatever rights I have against Master Thomas, I have, equally, against those confederated with him in robbing me of liberty.
From his autobiography, Douglass explains his reasoning that society, by upholding slavery, shares responsibility with individual slaveholders for denying his liberty.
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Our very lack of preparation for the conflict disposed us to look for some other than the way of blood out of the difficulty.
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.
A son of toil himself, he was linked in brotherly sympathy with the sons of toil in every loyal part of the republic.
It had no interest in recognizing or preserving any of the ties that bind families together or to their homes.