If it be not a sin, an open, flagrant violation of all the rules of justice and humanity, to hold these slaves in bondage, it is indeed folly to put ourselves to any trouble and expense in order to free them.
Interpretation
The quote questions the morality of maintaining slavery while considering the efforts to abolish it.
Samuel Hopkins' quote critiques the hypocrisy of a society that condones slavery while simultaneously discussing the moral obligations to free enslaved individuals. It highlights the contradiction of deeming slavery a 'flagrant violation' of justice and humanity while not taking genuine action towards its abolition. The emphasis lies on the folly of expending resources to free individuals from an institution that should not exist in the first place, challenging the ethical fabric of society.
In practice
During a discussion on the historical impact of slavery at a university seminar.
We sought justice because equal pay for equal work is an American value. That fight took me ten years. It took me all the way to the Supreme Court. And, in a 5 - 4 decision, they stood on the side of those who shortchanged my pay, my overtime, and my retirement just because I am a woman.
I know that every trial requires fairness and truth. Any trial that abandons the pursuit of truth cannot be considered fair or just.
When in Gregg v. Georgia the Supreme Court gave its seal of approval to capital punishment, this endorsement was premised on the promise that capital punishment would be administered with fairness and justice. Instead, the promise has become a cruel and empty mockery. If not remedied, the scandalous state of our present system of capital punishment will cast a pall of shame over our society for years to come. We cannot let it continue.
I understood at a young age that administrations come and go, but laws stay. So I decided to become a lawyer in order to help create a more just and peaceful world, not just in a fleeting moment but in a way that will endure from one generation to the next.
If you look at any other group of people suffering injustice, women are always in the worst situation within that group.
Ultimately, we must either abandon our reliance on stop and search or abandon any hope for a criminal justice system grounded in equality, impartiality and fairness.
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