Political Quotes

W.E.B. Du Bois: Through fugitive slaves and irrepressible discussion this desire for freedom seized the black millions still in bondage…

On the recordJanuary 1, 1903
Through fugitive slaves and irrepressible discussion this desire for freedom seized the black millions still in bondage, and became their one ideal of life.
Said by
W.E.B. Du Bois

Editor's note · Context

In "The Souls of Black Folk," Du Bois explains how the desire for freedom became the central ideal for enslaved Black people.

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