Truth is proper and beautiful in all times and in all places.

The mind does not take its complexion from the skin.

The Federal Government was never, in its essence, anything but an anti-slavery government.

I am not included within the pale of this glorious anniversary! Your high independence only reveals the immeasurable distance between us. The blessings in which you, this day, rejoice, are not enjoyed in common. The rich inheritance of justice, liberty, prosperity and independence, bequeathed by your fathers, is shared by you, not by me. The sunlight that brought life and healing to you, has brought stripes and death to me. This Fourth July is yours, not mine.

I have no accurate knowledge of my age, never having seen any authentic record containing it.

A man's rights rest in three boxes: the ballot box, the jury box, and the cartridge box.

The Constitution of the United States knows no distinction between citizens on account of color. Neither does it know any difference between a citizen of a state and a citizen of the United States.