Quotes
“The white man’s happiness cannot be purchased by the black man’s misery. Virtue cannot prevail among the white people, by its destruction among the black people, who form a part of the whole community. It is evident that the white and black ‘must fall or flourish together.’ In the light of this great truth, laws ought to be enacted, and institutions established—all distinctions, founded on complexion, ought to be repealed, repudiated, and forever abolished—and every right, privilege, and immunity, now enjoyed by the white man, ought to be as freely granted to the man of color.”
In this quote from Douglass’ essay “The Destiny of Colored Americans,” Douglass argues that true happiness and virtue for white people cannot be built on the suffering of Black people. He emphasizes their interconnectedness, stating that both groups share the same fate—prosperity or downfall. He demands the dismantling of racist laws and institutions and advocates for complete equality, where all rights and privileges enjoyed by white men are extended to Black men.
“Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will. Find out just what any people will quietly submit to and you have found out the exact measure of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them, and these will continue till they are resisted with either words or blows, or with both. The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppress.”
On August 3, 1857, Frederick Douglass delivered a “West India Emancipation” speech at Canandaigua, New York. In this powerful quote from the said speech, Frederick Douglass highlights the crucial role of resistance in securing justice. He asserts that power yields no concessions without pressure. The more a community allows injustice, the more it emboldens the oppressor. Only active resistance, through peaceful or forceful means, can establish the limits of oppression. The endurance of the oppressed sets the boundaries for how much the powerful can impose. In essence, this quote is a call for action.
“Slaves are generally expected to sing as well as to work.”
Appearing in Frederick Douglass’ third autobiography, “Life and Times of Frederick Douglass,” this quote speaks to the dehumanizing expectation placed upon enslaved people. Slavery demanded not just their labor but also a performance of contentment. Singing became a tool for masking the horrors of the slaves’ reality, forcing them to entertain their captors even in the face of immense suffering. It exposes the power dynamics at play. Slaveholders wielded the expectation of singing as a form of control, ensuring continued submission and minimizing the potential for resistance. They sought to erase any outward display of discontent, creating a facade of happy, compliant slaves. This served to justify the system and silence any questioning of its brutality.
