Frederick Douglass, the Orator - Monroe County Library System

Central Library of Rochester and Monroe County · Historic Monographs Collection
LIFE OF FREDERICK DOUGLASS.
contradiction from any quarter. He was a man
too great to be envious of the fame of others; too
just to detract from the merits of the most brilliant
of his companions in arms; too enlightened
to be influenced by popular prejudice; too humane
to despise the humblest. In him the negro found
a protector, the Indian a friend, a vanquished foe
a brother, an imperiled nation a savior.
" He was accessible to all men, whether of
high or low condition. He did not hide himself
behind his dignity. The black soldier was welcome
in his tent, the freedman in his house. To
those who forbade them, he simply said, ' Where
I am, they may come!'
"Among all the American people, no class will
feel the loss of his death more deeply than we.
No people will hallow his name and cherish his
memory more sacredly than we. To others he
was a patriot; to us he was a liberator. To others
he gave peace; to us he gave liberty. To
others he saved a country; to us he gave a country.
He found us slaves, and left us freemen.
He found us aliens, and left us citizens. He
found us outside of law and civilization, and made
us a part of the American body politic.
" The statesman and orator who could best describe,
if he were here, the character and services
of U. S. Grant is now out of public life, traveling
in a far country. Ye gods! how he loved him!