Famous Quotes | It now appears that the negro...

It now appears that the negro race is, more than any other, susceptible of rapid civilization. The emancipation is observed, in the islands, to have wrought for the negro a benefit as sudden as when a thermometer is brought out of the shade into the sun. It has given him eyes and ears. - Ralph Waldo Emerson
Attribution: Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882), U.S. essayist, poet, philosopher. “Address Delivered in Concord on the Anniversary of the Emancipation of the Negroes in the British West Indies, August 1, 1884,” Miscellanies (1883, repr. 1903). Though Emerson’s heart was in the right place, some of his thoughts on race are condescending and can make us wince. This quotation is typical of this class of remarks.

Categories: African Americans, Essayist, Philosopher, Slavery

Dictionary Tip:

Lookup any word on eNotes with our dictionary. Highlight the word and press SHIFT + D for a definition, or SHIFT + T for a synonym.