On the record
But if he shall come as a gentleman, a scholar, and a statesman, he is hailed as a contradiction to the national faith concerning his race, and his coming is resented as impudence.
Said by
Frederick Douglass
Source
gutenberg.orgFrederick Douglass: “But if he shall come as a gentleman, a scholar, and a statesman, he is hailed as a contradiction to the national faith…”
Editor's note · Context
Douglass highlights the double standards faced by Black individuals based on their achievements.
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Jan 1, 1881
True it is that this faith was many times shaken by passing events, but never destroyed.
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The sentiment that brings us here to-day is one of the noblest that can stir and thrill the human heart.