NO BUSINESS DESPAIRING!

“Allow me to say, in conclusion, notwithstanding the dark picture I have this day presented of the state of the nation, I do not despair of this country. There are forces in operation, which must inevitably work the downfall of slavery.”
Frederick Douglass said this. It is in his address telling a white American audience what a sham the Fourth was to the slaves. On this day, it strikes me with considerable force that he did not despair. Two years before, William Lloyd Garrison had despaired and had shrieked, “Up with the flag of disunion!!” Seven years later, John Brown also despaired of nonviolent ways to end…