Political Quotes

W.E.B. Du Bois: The war has naught to do with slaves, cried Congress, the President, and the Nation; and yet no sooner had the armies…

On the recordJanuary 1, 1903
The war has naught to do with slaves, cried Congress, the President, and the Nation; and yet no sooner had the armies, East and West, penetrated Virginia and Tennessee than fugitive slaves appeared within their lines.
Said by
W.E.B. Du Bois

Editor's note · Context

Du Bois points out the contradiction between official declarations that the Civil War was not about slavery and the immediate appearance of fugitive slaves seeking refuge with Union armies.

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