His face is livid, gaunt his whole body, his breath is green with gall; his tongue drips poison.
John Quincy AdamsRead
Slavery is the great and foul stain upon the North American Union.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Slavery represents a significant moral failure in the history of the United States.
In this quote, John Quincy Adams emphasizes the profound moral and ethical degradation that slavery inflicted on the fabric of the North American Union. He denotes slavery not just as a social issue but as a fundamental stain that tarnishes the nation's principles and values, highlighting the need for acknowledgment and rectification of this injustice.
Themes
SlaveryJusticeMoralityHistoryAmericaUnion
In practice
Example use cases
During a lecture on American history, one might use this quote to discuss the moral implications of slavery.
More from John Quincy Adams
All quotes βAlways vote for principle, though you may vote alone, and you may cherish the sweetest reflection that your vote is never lost.
John Quincy AdamsRead
It is among the evils of slavery that it taints the very sources of moral principle. It establishes false estimates of virtue and vice: for what can be more false and heartless than this doctrine which makes the first and holiest rights of humanity to depend upon the color of the skin?
John Quincy AdamsRead
The highest glory of the American Revolution was this: it connected in one indissoluble bond the principles of civil government with the principles of Christianity.
John Quincy AdamsRead
I have no predilection for unpopularity as such, but I hold it much preferable to the popularity of a day, which perishes with the transient topic upon which it is grounded.
John Quincy AdamsRead
According to the Stoics, all vice was resolvable into folly: according to the Christian principle, it is all the effect of weakness.
John Quincy AdamsRead
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I have not always been wrong. History will bear me out, particularly as I shall write that history myself.
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