Political Quotes

Frederick Douglass: “Does a slave look dissatisfied with his condition?”

On the record
Does a slave look dissatisfied with his condition?
Said by
Frederick Douglass

Editor's note · Context

Douglass questions the perception of dissatisfaction among slaves, highlighting the scrutiny they faced.

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More from Frederick Douglass

Jan 1, 1881

Everywhere in the south the colored man is learning to read.

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None now denies the ability of the colored race to acquire knowledge of anything which can be communicated to the human understanding by letters.

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To-day the negro, starting from nothing, pays taxes upon six millions in Georgia, and forty millions in Louisiana.

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The nation or people which shall comply with them will rise, and those which violate them will fall, and perhaps will disappear altogether.

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