All the negroes knew that the North had triumphed in the war, and that they were by consequence free; but the white masters didn’t yet seem to understand it.
Whitelaw Reid: “All the negroes knew that the North had triumphed in the war, and that they were by consequence free; but the white…”
Editor's note · Context
Reid reflects on the awareness of freedom among formerly enslaved people in the South after the Civil War.
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And it is both natural and right that colored Americans, entitled to the rights of citizens, should claim their exercise.
May it not prove, moreover, in that work of reorganization, which now engages the thoughts of all patriotic men, that universal suffrage is the best reconciler of the most comprehensive lenity with the most perfect public security and the…
He who has that right will usually respect himself more, be more respected, perform more, and more productive work, and do more to increase the wealth and welfare of the community, than he who has it not.
They should strive for distinction by economy, by industry, by sobriety, by patient perseverance in well-doing, by constant improvement of religious instruction, and by the constant practice of Christian virtues.