Frederick Douglass: “We skim de pot, Dey gib us the liquor, And say dat’s good enough for…”

On the record

We skim de pot, Dey gib us the liquor, And say dat’s good enough for nigger.

Said by

Frederick Douglass

Source

This line highlights the dehumanizing treatment of enslaved individuals and their limited access to basic necessities.

More from Frederick Douglass

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The laws which determine the destinies of individuals and nations are impartial and eternal.

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Guilty or not guilty, to be accused was to be sure of a flogging.

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For the moment the northern lamb was transformed into a lion, and his roar was terrible.

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Covey succeeded in breaking me--in body, soul, and spirit.

Frederick Douglass: “We skim de pot, Dey gib us the liquor, And say dat’s good enough for nigger.”