What the Black Man Wants

Teaching American History.org ^ | 1865 | Frederick Douglass

[Sam Cree]

I hadn't heard the term before, now trying to figure out a good place to use it ;-)

[TheForceOfOne]

You know Sam, to my knowledge I have never heard Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton refer to Frederick Douglass in any speech.

All they talk about is oppression and being held down, oh and give me some money.

[eeriegeno]

The welfare state was a government takeover and subsidy of the slave economy. Instead of cotton and such, the currency is votes.

Thank you Lyndon Baynes Johnson for your powerful contribution to this effort! Only problem is, you are with the Lord now and votes don't count anymore!

[eddie willers]

You know Sam, to my knowledge I have never heard Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton refer to Frederick Douglass in any speech.

You won't hear them mention Booker T. Washington either.

"There is a class of colored people who make a business of keeping the troubles, the wrongs and the hardships of the Negro race before the public.

Some of these people do not want the Negro to lose his grievances, because they do not want to lose their jobs."

[dfwgator]

I actually watched the Malcolm X movie. There was one great scene. Some lilly-white liberal college girl goes up to Malcolm and asks "is there anything I can do to help your cause?" To which, Malcolm simply replied, "No!"

[Sam Cree]

The thing that really gets me about that Douglass speech is that what he was asking for the black man is pretty much the premise of the founding of the United States, that men would be left alone by government. That idea doesn't seem to be accepted very universally anymore, not even here on FR.

[dfwgator]

Only problem is, you are with the Lord now

I wouldn't be so sure of that.

[ladyinred]

Sounds like Fredrick Douglass just wanted to be an American citizen like everybody else.

Exactly, as well they should be. What a wonderful post this is.

[TheForceOfOne]

A good reason they don't throw accolades at Condi Rice or any other prominent official in service to the Bush Administration.

[TheForceOfOne]

I use to live in Maryland and correct me if I am wrong but I believe there is a statue in the honor of Douglass at Salisbury, MD outside the courthouse with other great people prominent during the Civil War.

[sarasmom]

"While a majority do indeed stand on their own two feet, a too large minority want a free lunch and more."

I want you to re-read your own words for clarity.
Then I want you to consider who it was, exactly, that annointed Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton, and the NAACP as the official racial "spokesmen" for black USA citizens.
I am a white female.
Do you assume I agree with anything Nancy Pelosi or Hillary Clinton "spews" because I am a white female?
Should I assume all and only fat, slovenly white males agree with Michael Moore?

[ovrtaxt]

You really think he's with the Lord? Hmmmm.

[ovrtaxt]

That idea doesn't seem to be accepted very universally anymore, not even here on FR.

How true. What's good for the GOP takes precedence over what's good for the individual.

[rochester_veteran]

Thanks, I hadn't know he'd lived in Rochester. I have spent some time in Syracuse recently, I think well of upstate NY

You're welcome. Winter can be rough in these parts and we are going through some changes economically, but IMO, it's a nice place to live.

Here's some pictures of a statue of Frederick Douglass in Highland Park that's in the location where his house used to be.