Must I undertake to prove that the slave is a man? That point is conceded already. Nobody doubts it. The slave-holders themselves acknowledge it in the enactment of laws for their government. -- Douglass turns his attention to the second question raised by his discourse: Are slaves men? He undercuts his opposition by eliminating potential objections. The speech need not focus on the slaves status as a men because the enactment of laws that apply to them makes the point moot. Despite the disparity in numbers of offenses punishable by death, he points out that both white and black men are subject to the law.