On the record
All men are born free and equal, and have certain, natural, essential, and unalienable rights; among which may be reckoned the right of enjoying and defending their lives and liberties," etc.
Said by
W.E.B. Du Bois
Source
gutenberg.orgW.E.B. Du Bois: “All men are born free and equal, and have certain, natural, essential, and unalienable rights; among which may be…”
Editor's note · Context
This quote emphasizes the fundamental belief in the equality and rights of all individuals, a core principle in Du Bois's advocacy for civil rights.
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More from W.E.B. Du Bois
Jan 1, 1903
Away back in the days of bondage they thought to see in one divine event the end of all doubt and disappointment; few men ever worshipped Freedom with half such unquestioning faith as did the American Negro for two centuries.
Jan 1, 1903
This, then, is the end of his striving: to be a co-worker in the kingdom of culture, to escape both death and isolation, to husband and use his best powers and his latent genius.
Jan 1, 1903
The ballot, which before he had looked upon as a visible sign of freedom, he now regarded as the chief means of gaining and perfecting the liberty with which war had partially endowed him.
Jan 1, 1903
I had thereafter no desire to tear down that veil, to creep through; I held all beyond it in common contempt, and lived above it in a region of blue sky and great wandering shadows.