Quotes by Solomon Northup

At such times, the heart of man turns instictively towards his Maker. In prosperity, and whenever there is nothing to injure or make him afraid, he remembers Him not, and is ready to defy Him; but place him in the midst of dangers, cut him off from human aid, let the grave open before him, then it is, in the time of his tribulation, that the scoffer and unbelieving man turns to God for help, feeling there is no other hope, or refuge, or safety, save in his protecting arm.

It is not the fault of the slaveholder that he is cruel, so much as it is the fault of the system under which he lives. He cannot withstand the influence of habit and associations that surround him. Taught from earliest childhood, by all that he sees and hears that the rod is for the slaves back, he will not be apt to change his opinions in maturer years.

The influence of the iniquitous system necessarily fosters an unfeeling and cruel spirit, even in the bosoms of those who, among their equals, are regarded as humane and generous.

The law says you have the right to hold a nigger, but begging the laws pardon, it lies. . . Is everything right because the law allows it? Suppose theyd pass a law taking away your liberty and making you a slave?

Theres a sin, a fearful sin, resting on this nation, that will not go unpunished forever. There will be a reckoning yet. . . theres a day coming that will burn as an oven. It may be sooner or it may be later, but its a coming as sure as the Lord is just.

Theres a sin, a fearful sin, resting on this nation, that will not go unpunished forever. There will be reckoning yet ... it may be sooner or it may be later, but its a coming as sure as the Lord is just

...So we passed, handcuffed and in silence, through the streets of Washington, through the Captial of a nation, whose theory of government, we are told, rests on the foundation of mans inalienable right to life, LIBERTY, and the pursuit of happiness! Hail! Columbia, happy land, indeed!

No credit--no debt. Credit leads a man into temptation. Cash down is the only thing that will deliver him from evil.

Strange as it may seem, within plain sight of this same house, looking down from its commanding height upon it, was the Capitol. The voices of patriotic representatives boasting of freedom and equality, and the rattling of the poor slaves chains, almost commingled. A slave pen within the very shadow of the Capitol!

I ask no paradise on high, With cares on earth oppressed,The only heaven for which I sigh, Is rest, eternal rest.