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Us History Quotes

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Us History Quotes

“How then can the US society come to terms with its past? How can it acknowledge responsibility? The late Native historian Jack Forbes always stressed that while living persons are not responsible for what their ancestors did, they are responsible for the society they live in, which is a product of that past. Assuming this responsibility provides a means of survival and liberation. Everyone and everything in the world is affected, for the most part negatively, by US dominance and intervention, often violently through direct military means or through proxies.”

Human RightsGenocideUs HistoryColonizationEmpireIndigenous Peoples
Author:Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
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“It was an idea that made the crucial difference between British and Iberian America – an idea about the way people should govern themselves. Some people make the mistake of calling that idea ‘democracy’ and imagining that any country can adopt it merely by holding elections. In reality, democracy was the capstone of an edifice that had as its foundation the rule of law – to be precise, the sanctity of individual freedom and the security of private property rights, ensured by representative, constitutional government.”

GovernmentAmericaDemocracyRepublicUs History
Book:Civilization: The West and the Rest
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“So then the National Woman Suffrage Association and the American Woman Suffrage Association merged to create the National American Woman Suffrage Association, which personally I think is rather a mouthful,' Adelaide said as she set down her wineglass. 'I'm sure others have much shorter terms,' the doctor said, sawing into his steak with more vigor than necessary. 'Such as?' Grace asked. 'There are plenty who just call us bitches, dear.”

HistoryAmerican HistoryUs HistorySuffrageWoman SuffrageSuffragettesSuffragistsWomen S Suffrage
Book:A Madness So Discreet
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“Unless US citizens acknowledge and understand their country's imperial past, they will not be able to understand its present or future. Much of the recent and current Hispanic resettlement of parts of the United States is a consequence of empire.... Countercolonization follows colonization, and the waves of migrants always flow back like returning tides.”

ImmigrationUs HistoryHispanic
Book:Our America: A Hispanic History of the United States
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“But there are differences. The social studies I’ve read …” “They don’t deal with any basic difference in human nature between black and white,” I said. “They only study the effects of environment on human nature. You place the white man in the ghetto, deprive him of educational advantages, arrange it so he has to struggle hard to fulfill his instinct for self-respect, give him little physical privacy and less leisure, and he would after a time assume the same characteristics you attach to the Negro. These characteristics don’t spring from whiteness or blackness, but from a man’s conditioning.”

Us HistoryRacial Discrimination1959
Book:Black Like Me
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“What fragmented individualism really meant was what happened to a black man who tried to make it in this society: in order to succeed, he had to become an imitation white man - dress white, talk white, think white, express the values of middle-class white culture (at least when he was in the presence of white men). Implied in all this was the hiding, the denial, of his selfhood, his negritude, his culture, as though they were somehow shameful. If he succeeded, he was an alienated marginal man - alienated from the strength of his culture and from fellow black men, and never able, of course, to become that imitation white man because he bore the pigment that made the white man view him as intrinsically other.”

Us HistoryRacial Discrimination1959
Book:Black Like Me
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“The music consumed in its blatant rhythm all other rhythms, even that of the heartbeat. I wondered how all this would look to the casual observer, or to the whites in their homes. “The niggers are whooping it up over on Mobile Street tonight,” they might say. “They’re happy.” Or, as one scholar put it, “Despite their lowly status, they are capable of living jubilantly.” Would they see the immense melancholy that hung over the quarter, so oppressive that men had to dull their sensibilities in noise or wine or sex or gluttony in order to escape it? The laughter had to be gross or it would turn to sobs, and to sob would be to realize, and to realize would be to despair. So the noise poured forth like a jazzed-up fugue, louder and louder to cover the whisper in every man’s soul. “You are black. You are condemned.” This is what the white man mistook for “jubilant living” and called “whooping it up.” This is how the white man can say, “They live like dogs,” never realizing why they must, to save themselves, shout, get drunk, shake the hip, pour pleasures into bellies deprived of happiness. Otherwise, the sounds from the quarter would lose order and rhythm and become wails.”

Us HistoryRacial DiscriminationTags 1959
Book:Black Like Me
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“I must have had a dozen rides that evening. They blear into a nightmare, the one scarcely distinguishable from the other. It quickly became obvious why they picked me up. All but two picked me up the way they would pick up a pornographic photograph or book - except that this was verbal pornography. With a Negro, they assumed they need give no semblance of self-respect or respectability. The visual element entered into it. In a car at night visibility is reduced. A man will reveal himself in the dark, which gives the illusion of anonymity, more than he will in the bright light. Some were shamelessly open, some shamelessly subtle. All showed morbid curiosity about the sexual life of the Negro, and all had, at base, the same stereotyped image of the Negro as an inexhaustible sex-machine with oversized genitals and a vast store of experiences, immensely varied. They appeared to think that the Negro has done all of those “special” things they themselves have never dared to do. They carried the conversations into depths of depravity.”

Us HistoryRacial Discrimination1959
Book:Black Like Me
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“After the first difficulties in Rochester, New York, I was asked to consult with community leaders. I went and spoke for quite a long time. The leaders were concerned and sincere men. The first question one of them asked after I talked was: “Well, Mr. Griffin, what is the first thing we should do now?” I told him that I had been asked to come and consult with community leaders, and yet I was sitting in a room full of white men. The white man who had asked the question slapped his forehead in real chagrin. “It never occurred to me to ask any of them," he said apologetically.”

Us HistoryRacial Discrimination1959
Book:Black Like Me
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“We need a conversion of morals,” the elderly man said. “Not just superficially, but profoundly. And in both races. We need a great saint - some enlightened common sense. Otherwise, we’ll never have the right answers when the pressure groups - those racists, super-patriots, whatever you want to call them - tag every move toward racial justice as communist-inspired, Zionist-inspired, Illuminati-inspired, Satan-inspired … part of some secret conspiracy to overthrow the Christian civilization.”

Us HistoryRacial Discrimination1959
Book:Black Like Me
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“He told me how all of the white men in the region craved colored girls. He said he hired a lot of them both for housework and in his business. “And I guarantee you, I’ve had it in every one of them before they ever got on the payroll.” A pause. Silence above humming tires on the hot-top road. “What do you think of that?” “Surely some refuse,” I suggested cautiously. “Not if they want to eat - or feed their kids,” he snorted. “If they don’t put out, they don’t get the job.”

Us HistoryRacial Discrimination1959
Book:Black Like Me
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“It was now pointed out that the black male child, even in a black school using white textbooks, could early come to the conclusion that all the heroes in history were white men. Furthermore, with the exception of nationally known black civil rights leaders like Martin Luther King, Roy Wilkins, James Farmer, and others, the black male child frequently saw the adult black male as ineffectual and defeated. The old picture of the white man leading the black man by the hand toward the solution to his problems again gave the black male child a view of the adult black male as something not worth becoming, and killed his spirit and his will to become an adult, problem-solving individual.”

Us HistoryRacial Discrimination1959
Book:Black Like Me
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“You Can See Russia From America! There are two small Islands in the middle of the Bering Straits that are 2.4 miles apart, and have the “International Date Line” running between them. The larger Island to the west is Russian and is named Ratmanov Island. It is considered the last island in the far eastern reach of Asia. Little Diomede Island or Ignaluk Island, belongs to Alaska and is the easternmost of the two islands. It is as far west as you can go before reaching the “International Date Line.” Although the two islands are within easy sight of each other they are 24 hours apart, with one being in tomorrow and the other being in today. There are approximately 170, mostly Native Americans, living on the smaller American island. During winter, an ice bridge usually spans the distance between these two islands, therefore there are times when it is possible to walk between the United States and Russia. This little stroll can be dangerous and is not advised; however at this location you can definitely see Russia from America.”

HistoryAlaskaUs HistoryCuban HistoryInformative
Book:The Exciting Story of Cuba: Understanding Cuba's Present by Knowing Its Past
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“Customers came - whites, Negroes and Latin Americans. Well-dressed tourists mingled with the derelicts of the quarter. When we shined their shoes we talked. The whites, especially the tourists, had no reticence before us, and no shame since we were Negroes. Some wanted to know where they could find girls, wanted us to get Negro girls for them. We learned to spot these from the moment they sat down, for they were immediately friendly and treated us with the warmth and courtesy of equals. I mentioned this to Sterling. “Yeah, when they want to sin, they’re very democratic,” he said.”

Us HistoryRacial Discrimination1959
Book:Black Like Me
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“Yes, and then it’s these things that cause the whites to say we’re not worthy of first-class citizenship.” “Ah …” He dropped his hands to his sides hard in frustration. “Isn’t it so? They make it impossible for us to earn, to pay much in taxes because we haven’t much in income, and then they say that because they pay most of the taxes, they have the right to have things like they want. It’s a vicious circle, Mr. Griffin, and I don’t know how we’ll get out of it. They put us low, and then blame us for being down there and say that since we are low, we can’t deserve our rights.”

Us HistoryRacial Discrimination1959
Book:Black Like Me
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“Forgetting myself for a moment, I stopped to study the menu that was elegantly exposed in a show window. I read, realizing that a few days earlier I could have gone in and ordered anything on the menu. But now, though I was the same person with the same appetite, the same appreciation and even the same wallet, no power on earth could get me inside this place for a meal. I recalled hearing some Negro say, “You can live here all your life, but you’ll never get inside one of the great restaurants except as a kitchen boy.” The Negro often dreams of things separated from him only by a door, knowing that he is forever cut off from experiencing them.”

Us HistoryRacial Discrimination1959
Book:Black Like Me
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“The great danger in the South comes precisely from the fact that the public is not informed. Newspapers shirk notoriously their editorial responsibilities and print what they think their readers want. They lean with the prevailing winds and employ every fallacy of logic in order to editorialize harmoniously with popular prejudices. They also keep a close eye on possible economic reprisals from the Councils and the Klans, plus other superpatriotic groups who bring pressure to bear on the newspapers’ advertisers. In addition, most adhere to the long-standing conspiracy of silence about anything remotely favorable to the Negro. His achievements are carefully excluded or, when they demand attention, are handled with the greatest care to avoid the impression that anything good the individual Negro does is typical of his race.”

Us HistoryRacial Discrimination1959
Book:Black Like Me
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“In no instance were these reports true or were any of these cities actually in flames. But the result was immediate action on the part of white officials. They got in contact with important community and industrial leaders. Riot control measures were ordered into effect. Civilians armed themselves for the coming attack and stationed themselves at strategic points. In most cases many whites became aware of the “danger” and no local black person had any idea what was going on,”

Us HistoryRacial Discrimination1959
Book:Black Like Me
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“when the riot controls had been put into effect, and a nervous white population was waiting, it took little to set it off. In Wichita, a few white youths drove down into the black area and simply fired off guns. This brought black people out of their houses; in rage at seeing the harassment, they hurled stones or sticks at a passing car, and the battle was on. In that particular instance the police arrested the five whites who were armed and twelve young black men who had only rocks and sticks. All were jailed. The next morning, all were released on bail, but the bail set for the five armed whites was only one-fifth the amount set for the twelve unarmed black students.”

Us HistoryRacial Discrimination1959
Book:Black Like Me
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“I traveled from city to city in those days, and the view from within the ghettos was terrible and terrifying. While white people in the periphery were arming themselves against the day when they would have to defend themselves from attack by blacks (and really believed someone was fomenting a racial war in which black people would rise up and attack them), black people mostly without arms huddled inside the ghettos feeling that they were surrounded by armed whites.”

Us HistoryRacial Discrimination1959
Book:Black Like Me
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“Some whites, who had never really understood, were offended by this sudden death of their role as the “good white leading the poor black out of the jungle.” Many of these were among the saddest people of our time, good-hearted whites who had dedicated themselves to helping black people become imitation whites, to “bringing them up to our level,” without ever realizing what a deep insult this attitude can be.”

Us HistoryRacial Discrimination1959
Book:Black Like Me
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“The same principle held in black universities, where students demanded more and more black teachers. White professors who had virtually dedicated their lives and their academic careers as historians, anthropologists, sociologists, to the problems of racism and its cures, thinking they did this for the good of the oppressed victims of racism (and often suffering social and academic insults as a result), were asked to leave schools in favor of black teachers. Some of them turned very bitter.”

Us HistoryRacial Discrimination1959
Book:Black Like Me
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“Communism in America In the early 1920’s, fascism was undermining all vestiges of democracy in Europe and dictatorships were prevalent in most Latin American countries. Therefore, communism was considered by many as the best alternative for the working masses, and was embraced by many scholars, artists and authors, as a viable alternative form of political thinking. Many people in the Hollywood film industry became members of the “Communist Party of America,” or at least they agreed with the communistic views and became what was called “fellow travelers.” The Communist Party meetings were where people of like mind could gather and share ideas, as well as help each other with their budding careers. The United States Government had other ideas and some of the most serious attacks on personal rights took place during these early years. Constitutional rights were thrown out of the window as some government officials took unlawful actions against foreign immigrants and labor leaders. Being more tolerant politically, Mexico attracted many Americans who felt persecuted in the United States. Heading south of the border was a geographic cure that many of them embraced.”

HistoryUs HistoryCuban HistoryMexican History
Book:The Exciting Story of Cuba: Understanding Cuba's Present by Knowing Its Past
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“But look, I was born in 1956, the peak year for births in US history. I think I'm very representative of many of the thought processes my generation have been through and, by and large, people of my age have had their imprint planted on the consciousness of western society for a long time.”

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Author:Tom Hanks
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“Our laws and our institutions must necessarily be based upon and embody the teachings of the Redeemer of mankind. It is impossible that it should be otherwise, and in this sense and to this extent our civilization and our institutions are emphatically Christian.”

ShouldChristianLawReligiousImpossibleTeachingMankindCivilizationInstitutionsFoundersOur Founding FathersUs HistoryFounding Fathers ChristianUs Founding FathersRedeemerFounding Fathers ReligiousFounding Fathers Of AmericaFounding AmericaChristian HeritageGod And Country
Author:David Josiah Brewer
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“July 4th ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance by solemn acts of devotion.”

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Author:John Adams
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“The Declaration of Independence laid the cornerstone of human government upon the first precepts of Christianity.”

FirstsHumansGodGovernmentReligiousChristianityBibleIndependenceFoundersDeclarationOur Founding FathersUs HistoryDeclaration Of IndependenceFounding Fathers ChristianCornerstonesUs Founding FathersFounding Fathers ReligionFounding Fathers Of AmericaFounding AmericaFounding Fathers AtheistChristianity From Founding FathersChristian HeritageOne Nation Under GodChristianity And Government
Author:John Adams
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“The general principles on which the fathers achieved independence were the general principles of Christianity. I will avow that I then believed, and now believe, that those general principles of Christianity are as eternal and immutable as the existence and attributes of God.”

BelieveGodFatherReligiousExistenceChristianityPrinciplesEternalBibleIndependenceAttributesFoundersFoundingGodlyOur Founding FathersUs HistoryDeclaration Of IndependenceFounding Fathers ChristianUs Founding FathersFounding Fathers Of AmericaFounding AmericaAmerican Founding FathersFounding Fathers AtheistChristianity From Founding FathersChristian HeritageRevolution Founding FathersChristian PatrioticOne Nation Under GodAttributes Of GodDependence On God
Book:The Works of John Adams Vol. 10: Letters and State Papers 1811 - 1825
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“I have examined all religions, and the result is that the Bible is the best book in the world.”

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Author:John Adams
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“The Christian religion is, above all the religions that ever prevailed or existed in ancient or modern times, the religion of wisdom, virtue, equity and humanity.”

GodChristianHumanityReligiousVirtueModernBibleAncientFoundersFoundingEquityOur Founding FathersUs HistoryFounding Fathers ChristianUs Founding FathersFounding Fathers ReligionFounding Fathers ReligiousModern TimesFounding Fathers Anti ReligionFounding Fathers Of AmericaFounding AmericaAmerican Founding FathersChristianity From Founding FathersChristian HeritageRevolution Founding Fathers
Book:The Works of John Adams, Second President of the United States: With a Life of the Author, Notes and Illustrations
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“As the safety and prosperity of nations ultimately and essentially depend on the protection and the blessing of Almighty God, and the national acknowledgment of this truth is not only an indispensable duty which the people owe to Him.”

PeopleGodNationsReligiousDutyDependsTruth IsBlessingBibleSafetyProsperityProtectionAlmightyIndispensableUs HistoryAlmighty GodAcknowledgment
Book:The Works of John Adams, Second President of the United States: With a Life of the Author, Notes and Illustrations
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“The general principles on which the fathers achieved independence were the general principles of Christianity”

FatherChristianityPrinciplesIndependenceFoundersFoundingOur Founding FathersUs HistoryDeclaration Of IndependenceFounding Fathers ChristianUs Founding FathersReligious LibertyFounding Fathers Of AmericaFounding AmericaAmerican Founding FathersFounding Fathers AtheistChristianity From Founding FathersChristian HeritageRevolution Founding FathersChristian PatrioticOne Nation Under GodGod Bless AmericaDependence On God
Book:The Works of John Adams, Second President of the United States: With a Life of the Author, Notes and Illustrations
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