On the recordJanuary 1, 1881
In times past we have been the hewers of wood and drawers of water for American society, and we once enjoyed a monopoly in menial employments, but this is so no longer.
Said by
Frederick Douglass
Source
gutenberg.orgFrederick Douglass: “In times past we have been the hewers of wood and drawers of water for American society, and we once enjoyed a monopoly…”
Editor's note · Context
From his autobiography, Douglass observes the historical economic role of Black Americans and its decline in the post-Civil War era.
Share
More from Frederick Douglass
Jan 1, 1881
I believed I should get enough to eat at Covey’s, even if I suffered in other respects, and this to a hungry man is not a prospect to be regarded with indifference.
Jan 1, 1881
The good to be sought and the evil to be shunned were flung in the balance and weighed against each other.
Jan 1, 1881
Lincoln was not only a great President, but a GREAT MAN--too great to be small in anything.