I understand the perspective, and I agree with almost every particular that you mention.

But I fail to understand your pessimism. In 1850, slavery was legal. It was so ingrained that it required a constitutional amendment and a civil war to end its legality. Don't you think that's a fantastically high bar to pass to accomplish something?

And yet the bar was passed. It was passed in large part by public sentiment being swayed by arguments made by Douglass and Garrison (though of course not only them). They had one significant disagreement: Garrison maintained that the Constitution was inherently racist and could not be used to end slavery, while Douglass maintained the opposite--that its call to individual rights was its defining characteristic.

Douglass proved the more perceptive at the time. Slavery was indeed ended with the aid of rather than with the overthrow of the Constitution.

Of course when faced with the immense difficulties of the present struggle, it's natural to grow weary or depressed at times. But if you reflect--are you sure? Hasn't the country already faced larger challenges and had major successes? Do you really accept, even after all the change that has happened, that Garrison was right after all and Douglass was wrong?