History & Politics
Liberty for All
From An American Anthology, 1787–1900, ed. Edmund Clarence Stedman (1900)
They tell me, Liberty! that in thy name
I may not plead for all the human race;
That some are born to bondage and disgrace,
Some to a heritage of woe and shame,
And some to power supreme, and glorious fame:
With my whole soul I spurn the doctrine base,
And, as an equal brotherhood, embrace
All people, and for all fair freedom claim!
Know this, O man! whate'er thy earthly fate—
God never made a tyrant nor a slave:
Woe, then, to those who dare to desecrate
His glorious image!—for to all He gave
Eternal rights, which none may violate;
And, by a mighty hand, the oppressed He yet shall save!
Cite this poem
MLA
Garrison, William Lloyd. “Liberty for All.” Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/garrison_wl/0/.
Chicago
Garrison, William Lloyd. “Liberty for All.” Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/garrison_wl/0/.
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