On the recordJanuary 1, 1881
They gave freedmen the machinery of liberty, but denied them the steam to put it in motion.
Said by
Frederick Douglass
Source
gutenberg.orgFrederick Douglass: “They gave freedmen the machinery of liberty, but denied them the steam to put it in motion.”
Editor's note · Context
From his autobiography, Douglass uses a metaphor to explain that Reconstruction provided the legal framework for freedom but failed to empower freedmen with the means to exercise it effectively.
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