Douglass to Thomas Auld

September 22, 1848

From the North Star, here is the full letter which Douglass wrote to his former master, on the anniversary of his emancipation.   Douglass closes the letter in a final paragraph:  “I will now bring this letter to a close, you shall hear from me again unless you let me hear from you.  I intend to make use of you as a weapon with which to assail the system of slavery – as a means of concentrating public attention on the system, and deepening their horror of trafficking in the souls and bodies of men.  I shall make use of you a means of exposing the character of the American church and clergy – and as a means of bringing this guilty nation with yourself to repentance.  In doing this I entertain no malice toward you personally.  There is no roof under which you would be more safe than mine, and there is nothing in my house which you might need for your comfort, which I which I would not readily grant.  Indeed, I should esteem it a privilege, to set you an example as to how mankind ought to treat each other.   I am your fellow man, but not your slave.”

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