On the recordJanuary 1, 1903
Their great defect as laborers lies in their lack of incentive beyond the mere pleasure of physical exertion.
Said by
W.E.B. Du Bois
Source
gutenberg.orgTheir great defect as laborers lies in their lack of incentive beyond the mere pleasure of physical exertion.
This statement identifies a key perceived limitation of Black laborers, attributing their lack of economic drive to a focus on immediate physical satisfaction.
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He would not bleach his Negro soul in a flood of white Americanism, for he knows that Negro blood has a message for the world.
Many of the worst characteristics of the Negro masses of to-day had their seed in this period of the slave’s ethical growth.
The Nation has not yet found peace from its sins; the freedman has not yet found in freedom his promised land.
The direct result of this system is an all-cotton scheme of agriculture and the continued bankruptcy of the tenant.