Political Quotes

W.E.B. Du Bois: There were, of course, exceptions to this,—cases of personal kindness and forbearance; but in the vast majority of cases…

On the recordJanuary 1, 1903
There were, of course, exceptions to this,—cases of personal kindness and forbearance; but in the vast majority of cases the rule was to extract the uttermost farthing from the mass of the black farm laborers.
Said by
W.E.B. Du Bois

Editor's note · Context

This passage from "The Souls of Black Folk" summarizes the pervasive economic exploitation of Black farm laborers in the post-slavery South.

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