A private letter from Phillips, addressing Douglass as "My Dear Friend," is sometimes included as an introduction to certain editions of the Narrative. Phillips begins his letter by referring to the old fable of "The Man and the Lion," in which the lion states that he would no longer be misrepresented if he — and not the man — could tell his side of the story. Such is the condition of the slave, whose true story is not usually told; instead, the slave masters have always spoken on behalf of the slave.
Phillips refers to the West Indian "experiment" of 1838, when Britain finally abolished the slave trade and granted freedom to blacks throughout the British colonies. Sadly, the success of this emancipation brought few converts to the abolition movement. Too many people have continued to be more concerned about the price of sugar than they are about the victims of slavery.
Phillips urges Douglass to fairly compare how his race is treated in the North and in the South and tell readers about the differences. He wants to thank Douglass for fully revealing the horrors of slavery. Douglass, he says, has shown immense courage. It is exceedingly dangerous to expose one's identity through the media, for slave hunters will be eager to track down just such a fugitive. Phillips admits that if he were Douglass he would not have the courage to publish this manuscript; he would throw it in the fire in order to avoid publicity. Phillips hopes for the day when the North need no longer simply hide fugitives but openly welcome them. New England, which was a place of refuge for the Pilgrims, should now be an open asylum for all oppressed peoples.
