Moran: moral compromise

Few would argue that the institution of slavery did not produce an incalculable number of evils for the people who are owned, but Frederick Douglass also argues that it does great evil to the masters as well. The idea is if you can lower someone or a group of people until they aren’t even human anymore, you must lower your conscious and soul to the same level. The best example of such would have to be Frederick Douglass himself. He is rumored to be half white, most likely the son of his and his mother’s master. Despite being the master’s flesh and blood, he is still nothing more than a piece of property in the eyes of the law and most of southern society. If indeed his father is also his master, the white members of his family now own one of his sons. If the master decides to keep his son, the white members of his family would most likely despise him and go out of their way to torture him (perhaps even literally). The other option is to sell him, where his birthfather would be unable to offer him any protection, if he so wanted to, and leave him to the harsh life of a slave for the rest of his life. Either way, the owner would have to choose between being a father and a master. Most would choose to be the master, a moral compromise that I believe would destroy the soul.