Whitelaw Reid: “The negroes here seem to have a vague idea that they are free; but…”

On the record

The negroes here seem to have a vague idea that they are free; but little change in their relations to their old masters is perceptible.

Said by

Whitelaw Reid

Source

Reid observes the limited perception of freedom among formerly enslaved individuals in the South after the Civil War.

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Whitelaw Reid: “The negroes here seem to have a vague idea that they are free; but little change in their relations to their old masters…”