Frederick Douglass was a badass. He was a former slave who obtained an education and worked with political leaders, garnering a measure of power and influence himself. He penned one of my favorite quotes of all time:
Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will. Find out just what any people will quietly submit to and you have found out the exact measure of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them, and these will continue till they are resisted with either words or blows, or with both. The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppress.
--Frederick Douglass
In addition to having plenty of excellent quotes from his long history of oratory, his memoirs are extremely well-written too. Highly recommend.
It is with the greatest of respect for Douglass that I link this ERB video for anyone who hasn't seen it.
I absolutely love his independence day speech. An absolute badass, indeed
That look of admiration!
Seggsy except the guy
