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Slavery Quotes

Browse 2495 quotes about Slavery.

Slavery Quotes

“The state of slavery is in its own nature bad.”

Book:The Spirit of Laws

Source: The Spirit of Laws

“The prejudice of the race appears stronger in the States that have abolished slaves than in the States where slavery still exists. White carpenters, white bricklayers, and white painters will not work side by side with the blacks in the North but do it in almost every Southern State.”

Stills War States Sides White Race Prejudice Stronger Slavery Slave Painter Civil War Southern Carpenter Bricklayers

Author:Alexis de Tocqueville

“Slavery has become so engrafted into the policy of the Southern States, that it cannot be eradicated without tearing up by the roots their happiness, tranquillity, and prosperity.”

War States Policy Roots Slavery Prosperity Civil War Southern Tranquillity

Author:William Loughton Smith

“In most ages many countries have had part of their inhabitants in a state of slavery; yet it may be doubted whether slavery can ever be supposed the natural condition of man. It is impossible not to conceive that men in their original state were equal; and very difficult to imagine how one would be subjected to another but by violent compulsion. An individual may, indeed, forfeit his liberty by a crime; but he cannot by that crime forfeit the liberty of his children.”

Source: The life of Samuel Johnson, LL. D., comprehending an account of his studies, and numerous works, in chronological order: a series of his epistolary correspondence and conversations with many eminent persons; and various original pieces of his composition, never before published; the whole exhibiting a view of literature and literary men in Great Britain, for near half a century during which he flourished

“Augustus gradually increased his powers, taking over those of the senate, the executives and the laws. The aristocracy received wealth and position in proportion to their willingness to accept slavery. The state had been transformed, and the old Roman character gone for ever. Equality among citizens was completely abandoned. All now waited on the imperial command.”

States Character Law Wealth Accepting History Gone Position Citizens Slavery Command Proportion Executives Willingness Abandoned Senate Transformed Aristocracy Augustus

Author:Tacitus

“It is inevitable, that eventually the people will demand absolute security from the state... And absolute security is absolute slavery.”

People States Security Demand Absolutes Slavery Inevitable

Author:Taylor Caldwell

“I Became a free woman when I decided to stop dreaming, freedom that is waiting for nothing .. and anticipation is a state of slavery”

States Dream Waiting Decided Slavery Anticipation Stop Dreaming

Author:Ahlam Mosteghanemi

“Democracy is not just freedom to criticize the government or head of state, or to hold parliamentary elections. True democracy obtains only when the people - women, men, young people, children - have the ability to change the system of industrial capitalism that has oppressed them since the earliest days of slavery: a system based on class division, patriarchy, and military might, a hierarchical system that subjugates people merely because they are born poor, or female, or dark-skinned.”

“The anti-slavery party contend that slavery is wrong in itself, and the Government is a consolidated national democracy. We of the South contend that slavery is right, and that this is a confederate Republic of sovereign States.”

States Government Party Democracy Slavery South Republic Sovereign Confederate Anti Slavery

Author:Laurence M. Keitt

“I often compare my method of working to that of a well-meaning freed woman in a Northern state who is attempting to delineate the horrors of Southern slavery but with next to no resources, other than some paper and a pen knife and some people she'd like to kill”

People Wells States Next Horror Paper Resources Method Slavery Compare Pens Southern Knives Attempting

Author:Kara Walker

“There is an unbroken line of police violence in the United States that takes us all the way back to the days of slavery, the aftermath of slavery, the development of the Ku Klux Klan. There is so much history of this racist violence that simply to bring one person to justice is not going to disturb the whole racist edifice.”

Way Persons States Whole Lines Justice United United States Violence Development Police Slavery Racist Aftermath Unbroken Edifice Ku Klux Klan Police Violence

Author:Angela Davis

“Feudalism, serfdom, slavery — all tyrannical institutions, are merely the most vigorous kinds of rule, springing out of, and necessary to, a bad state of man. The progress from these is in all cases the same — less government.”

Men Kind States Government Cases Progress Institutions Slavery Vigorous Feudalism

Author:Herbert Spencer

“I believe that the flag of the Confederate States of America is a painful symbol and reminder of racial injustice and slavery which Abraham Lincoln denounced from here over 150 years ago.”

Years Believe States America I Believe Years Ago Slavery Injustice Painful Symbols Flags Reminders Abraham Confederate

Author:Howard Dean

“Christianity is the enemy of liberty and civilization. It has kept mankind in slavery and oppression. The Church and the State have always fraternally united to exploit the people.”

People States Church United Liberty Christianity Enemy Mankind Civilization Slavery Oppression Exploits

Author:August Bebel

“If the states had to vote on slavery, we would have lost the vote.”

Ifs States Lost Vote Slavery

Author:Jesse Jackson

“To reduce the imagination to a state of slavery --even though it would mean the elimination of what is commonly called happiness --is to betray all sense of absolute justice within oneself. Imagination alone offers me some intimation of what can be.”

Mean States Imagination Justice Offers Absolutes Slavery Oneself Betrayal Betray My Imagination Elimination

Author:Andre Breton

“Most historians agree that Abraham Lincoln was the most important man to ever occupy the White House because he abolished slavery and kept the states united through a bloody civil war.”

Men Important War States House White United Agree Slavery Civil War White House Historian Bloody Abraham

Author:Kitty Kelley

“The proceedings of this House in 1790, in reference to petitions on the matter of the slave trade, and of slavery in the States, have been cited. It has been said that those petitions were not received.”

Has Beens Said Matter States House Slavery Trade Slave Proceeding Petitions Slave Trade

Author:Caleb Cushing