Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave — Page 14
"—Let it never be forgotten, that no slaveholder or overseer can be convicted of any outrage perpetrated on the person of a slave, however diabolical it may be, on the testimony of colored witnesses, whether bond or free.
„—Es sei niemals vergessen, dass kein Sklavenhalter oder Aufseher wegen irgendeiner Gewalttat, die an der Person eines Sklaven begangen wurde, wie teuflisch sie auch sein mag, auf der Grundlage der Aussage farbiger Zeugen verurteilt werden kann, ob diese nun versklavt oder frei sind.
By the slave code, they are adjudged to be as incompetent to testify against a white man, as though they were indeed a part of the brute creation.
Nach dem Sklavengesetz werden sie als ebenso unfähig erachtet, gegen einen weißen Mann auszusagen, als wären sie tatsächlich ein Teil der rohen Kreatur.
Hence, there is no legal protection in fact, whatever there may be in form, for the slave population; and any amount of cruelty may be inflicted on them with impunity.
Daher gibt es de facto keinen rechtlichen Schutz, wie auch immer er der Form nach bestehen mag, für die versklavte Bevölkerung; und jedes Maß an Grausamkeit kann ihnen ungestraft zugefügt werden.
Is it possible for the human mind to conceive of a more horrible state of society?
Ist es dem menschlichen Geist möglich, sich einen schrecklicheren Gesellschaftszustand vorzustellen?
The effect of a religious profession on the conduct of southern masters is vividly described in the following Narrative, and shown to be any thing but salutary.
Die Wirkung eines religiösen Bekenntnisses auf das Verhalten südlicher Sklavenhalter wird in der folgenden Erzählung lebhaft beschrieben und als alles andere als heilsam dargestellt.
In the nature of the case, it must be in the highest degree pernicious.
Der Natur der Sache nach muss es im höchsten Grade verderblich sein.
The testimony of _Mr. Douglass_, on this point, is sustained by a cloud of witnesses, whose veracity is unimpeachable.
Das Zeugnis von _Herrn Douglass_ zu diesem Punkt wird von einer Vielzahl von Zeugen gestützt, deren Glaubwürdigkeit unanfechtbar ist.
"A slaveholder's profession of Christianity is a palpable imposture.
„Das Bekenntnis eines Sklavenhalters zum Christentum ist ein offenkundiger Betrug.
He is a felon of the highest grade.
Er ist ein Verbrecher schwersten Grades.
He is a man-stealer.
Er ist ein Menschenräuber.
It is of no importance what you put in the other scale."
Es ist ohne Belang, was Sie in die andere Waagschale legen."
Reader! are you with the man-stealers in sympathy and purpose, or on the side of their down-trodden victims?
Leser! Stehen Sie in Sympathie und Absicht auf der Seite der Menschenräuber, oder auf der Seite ihrer unterdrückten Opfer?
If with the former, then are you the foe of God and man.
Wenn mit den Ersteren, dann sind Sie der Feind Gottes und der Menschen.
Vocabulary
- Es
- It; neuter pronoun
- sei
- Be; subjunctive form of sein
- niemals
- Never; at no time whatsoever
- vergessen
- To forget; to fail to remember something
- dass
- That; subordinating conjunction introducing a clause
- kein
- No; not any; negating article
- Sklavenhalter
- Slaveholder; person who owns enslaved people
- oder
- Or; connecting two alternatives
- Aufseher
- Overseer; supervisor, especially on a plantation
- wegen
- Because of; due to; on account of
- irgendeiner
- Any; some unspecified one
- Gewalttat
- Act of violence; violent crime committed against someone
- die
- The; definite article, also relative pronoun
- an
- At; on; to; preposition indicating location or direction
- der
- The; definite article masculine or genitive
- Person
- Person; individual human being
- eines
- Of a; genitive indefinite article (neuter)
- Sklaven
- Slave; genitive or plural of Sklave
- begangen
- Committed; past participle of begehen (to commit)
- wurde
- Was; simple past passive auxiliary of werden
- wie
- How; as; like; comparative or interrogative particle
- teuflisch
- Diabolical; devilish; extremely wicked or cruel
- sie
- She; they; her; them; personal pronoun
- auch
- Also; too; even; additionally
- sein
- To be; infinitive of the verb to be
- mag
- May; might; modal verb expressing possibility
- auf
- On; upon; based on; preposition
- Grundlage
- Basis; foundation; underlying principle or evidence
- Aussage
- Statement; testimony; declaration given as evidence
- farbiger
- Of color; historical term for non-white persons
- Zeugen
- Witnesses; persons giving testimony in a case
- verurteilt
- Convicted; sentenced; judged guilty by a court
- werden
- To become; auxiliary for passive or future constructions
- kann
- Can; is able to; modal verb of ability
- ob
- Whether; if; subordinating conjunction for indirect questions
- diese
- These; those; demonstrative pronoun or article
- nun
- Now; well; at this point in time
- versklavt
- Enslaved; held in slavery against one's will
- frei
- Free; not enslaved; at liberty
- sind
- Are; third person plural present of sein
- Nach
- After; according to; preposition of time or reference
- dem
- The; dative definite article masculine or neuter
- Sklavengesetz
- Slave law; legislation governing enslaved persons
- als
- As; than; when; conjunction or comparative particle
- ebenso
- Equally; likewise; just as; in the same way
- unfähig
- Incapable; unable; lacking the ability to do something
- erachtet
- Considered; deemed; regarded as having a quality
- gegen
- Against; toward; opposing; preposition
- einen
- A; an; accusative indefinite article masculine
- weißen
- White; adjective declined, referring to a white person
- Mann
- Man; adult male person
- auszusagen
- To testify; to give a statement or testimony
- wären
- Would be; subjunctive II of sein
- tatsächlich
- Actually; in fact; truly; in reality
- ein
- A; an; one; indefinite article or numeral
- Teil
- Part; portion; section of a whole
- rohen
- Raw; crude; rough; unrefined
- Kreatur
- Creature; being; living entity, often used dismissively
- Daher
- Therefore; hence; for that reason
- gibt
- Gives; there is/are; third person singular of geben
- es
- It; neuter personal pronoun
- keinen
- No; not any; accusative masculine negating article
- rechtlichen
- Legal; pertaining to law; lawful
- Schutz
- Protection; safeguard; defense against harm
- immer
- Always; ever; at all times
- er
- He; third person singular masculine pronoun
- Form
- Form; shape; structure; format
- nach
- After; to; according to; preposition
- bestehen
- To exist; to persist; to pass (an exam)
- für
- For; on behalf of; in favor of
- versklavte
- Enslaved; adjective describing persons held in bondage
- Bevölkerung
- Population; inhabitants of a region or country
- und
- And; coordinating conjunction joining elements
- jedes
- Every; each; any; indefinite pronoun neuter
- Maß
- Measure; degree; extent of something
- Grausamkeit
- Cruelty; brutality; extreme harshness toward others
- ihnen
- Them; to them; dative plural personal pronoun
- ungestraft
- With impunity; without punishment; unpunished
- zugefügt
- Inflicted; done to; caused to someone as harm
- Ist
- Is; third person singular present of sein
- menschlichen
- Human; pertaining to humanity; humane
- Geist
- Mind; spirit; intellect; ghost
- möglich
- Possible; feasible; able to happen
- sich
- Oneself; reflexive pronoun for third person
- schrecklicheren
- More terrible; comparative of schrecklich (terrible)
- Gesellschaftszustand
- State of society; social condition of a community
- vorzustellen
- To imagine; to introduce; to present to oneself
- Die
- The; definite article feminine or plural
- Wirkung
- Effect; impact; result of an action
- religiösen
- Religious; pertaining to religion or faith
- Bekenntnisses
- Of confession; of profession of faith; genitive form
- das
- The; that; neuter definite article or pronoun
- Verhalten
- Behavior; conduct; manner of acting
- südlicher
- Southern; of or relating to the south
- wird
- Will; becomes; third person singular of werden
- in
- In; inside; within; preposition of location
- folgenden
- Following; subsequent; in the next part
- Erzählung
- Narrative; story; account of events
- lebhaft
- Vividly; lively; in an animated or vivid manner
- beschrieben
- Described; depicted; portrayed in words
- alles
- Everything; all; every thing
- andere
- Other; different; another one
- heilsam
- Wholesome; beneficial; conducive to well-being
- dargestellt
- Presented; depicted; shown or represented
- Der
- The; masculine definite article or relative pronoun
- Natur
- Nature; natural character or essence of something
- Sache
- Thing; matter; affair; subject at hand
- muss
- Must; has to; modal verb of obligation
- im
- In the; contraction of in + dem
- höchsten
- Highest; greatest; superlative of hoch (high)
- Grade
- Degree; grade; level; extent
- verderblich
- Pernicious; corrupting; causing moral or physical harm
- Das
- The; that; neuter definite article
- Zeugnis
- Testimony; evidence; certificate of performance
- von
- Of; from; by; preposition indicating origin or possession
- _Herrn
- Mr.; Mister; title before a man's name
- zu
- To; at; too; preposition or infinitive particle
- diesem
- This; dative masculine or neuter demonstrative pronoun
- Punkt
- Point; dot; specific topic or item
- einer
- A; one; dative feminine or genitive indefinite article
- Vielzahl
- Multitude; large number; plurality of things
- gestützt
- Supported; backed; corroborated by evidence
- deren
- Whose; their; relative or possessive pronoun
- Glaubwürdigkeit
- Credibility; trustworthiness; reliability of a source
- unanfechtbar
- Incontestable; unassailable; beyond challenge or dispute
- ist
- Is; third person singular present of sein
- Bekenntnis
- Confession; profession of faith; declaration of belief
- Sklavenhalters
- Of the slaveholder; genitive singular form
- zum
- To the; for the; contraction of zu + dem
- Christentum
- Christianity; the Christian religion or faith
- offenkundiger
- Obvious; manifest; plain to see; blatant
- Betrug
- Fraud; deception; act of deceiving others dishonestly
- Er
- He; third person singular masculine pronoun
- Verbrecher
- Criminal; wrongdoer; person who commits crimes
- schwersten
- Most serious; gravest; superlative of schwer (serious)
- Grades
- Of degree; of grade; genitive of Grad
- Menschenräuber
- Kidnapper; man-stealer; one who abducts people
- ohne
- Without; lacking; in the absence of
- Belang
- Relevance; importance; matter of consequence
- was
- What; which; relative or interrogative pronoun
- Sie
- You (formal); they; polite second person pronoun
- Waagschale
- Scale pan; balance dish; side of a weighing scale
- legen
- To place; to put; to lay something down
- Leser
- Reader; person who reads a text
- Stehen
- To stand; to be positioned; infinitive of stehen
- Sympathie
- Sympathy; fellow feeling; compassion for others
- Absicht
- Intention; purpose; aim behind an action
- Seite
- Side; page; aspect of a thing
- ihrer
- Their; her; genitive or dative possessive pronoun
- unterdrückten
- Oppressed; suppressed; subjected to domination
- Opfer
- Victim; sacrifice; person who suffers harm
- Wenn
- If; when; conditional or temporal conjunction
- mit
- With; together with; using; preposition
- den
- The; dative plural or accusative masculine article
- Ersteren
- The former; the first-mentioned of two options
- dann
- Then; in that case; at that time
- Feind
- Enemy; foe; adversary; one who opposes another
- Gottes
- Of God; genitive of Gott (God)
- Menschen
- Humans; people; genitive or plural of Mensch
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