I have lived among negroes, all my life, and I am for this Government with slavery under the Constitution as it is. I am for the Government of my fathers with negroes, I am for it without negroes. Before I would see this Government destroyed, I would send every negro back to Africa, disintegrated and blotted out of space.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- The speaker states he supports the government with or without enslaved people, even suggesting deportation rather than destroying the union.
- In plain terms
- He supports the government even if it keeps slavery, and would remove black people to save it.
- What can you take from it?
- Some prioritize union preservation over racial equality.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- How do you judge historical figures?
- Was the union worth slavery?
Another view
The quote expresses explicitly racist views that contradict modern values.
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No, gentlemen, if I am to be shot at, I want no man to be in the way of the bullet.
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