"I will say, finally, that I despair of the republic while slavery exists therein. If I look up to God for success, no smile of mercy or forgiveness dispels the gloom of futurity; if to our own resources, they are daily diminishing; if to all history, our destruction is not only possible, but almost certain. Why should we slumber at this momentous crisis? If our hearts were dead to every throb of humanity; if it were lawful to oppress, where power is ample; still, if we had any regard for our safety and happiness, we should strive to crush the Vampire which is feeding upon our life-blood. All the selfishness of our nature cries aloud for a better security. Our own vices are too strong for us, and keep us in perpetual alarm; how, in addition to these, shall we be able to contend successfully with millions of armed and desperate men, as we must eventually, if slavery do not cease?"
Quote Details
Added by wikiquote-import-bot
Unverified quote
0 likes
Non-fiction authors from the United StatesAbolitionistsUnitarians from the United StatesJournalists from MassachusettsPublishers from the United States
Original Language: English
Available Languages (1)
Sources
Address to the Colonization Society (4 July 1829)
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/William_Lloyd_Garrison
Revision History
No revisions have been submitted for this quote.
Categories
William Lloyd Garrison
William Lloyd Garrison (12 December 1805 – 24 May 1879) was an American abolitionist, journalist, and social reformer.
48 quotes on TrueQuotesView all quotes by William Lloyd Garrison →
Related Quotes
"The right to enjoy liberty is inalienable. To invade it is to usurp the prerogative of Jehovah. Every man has a right…"
"But the moment he holds them [slaves] as property, however kindly he may treat them, he is a man-stealer, whom the ap…"
"Our country is the world, our countrymen are all mankind. We love the land of our nativity, only as we love all other…"
"The compact which exists between the North and the South is a covenant with death and an agreement with hell."
"Every slave is a stolen man; every slaveholder is a man-stealer. By no precedent, no example, no law, no compact, no …"
"We have a natural right, therefore, to seek the abolition of slavery throughout the globe. It is our special duty to …"
"What shall be said, then, of those who insist upon ignoring the question of slavery as not involved in this deadly fe…"
"I have not come here with reference to any flag but that of freedom. If your Union does not symbolize universal emanc…"
"Reader! are you with the man-stealers in sympathy and purpose, or on the side of their down-trodden victims? If with …"
"I cherish as strong a love for the land of my nativity as any man living. I am proud of her civil, political and reli…"