The aspect of American society is animated, because men and things are always changing; but it is monotonous, because all the changes are alike.
Alexis De TocquevilleRead
The prejudice of the race appears stronger in the States that have abolished slaves than in the States where slavery still exists. White carpenters, white bricklayers, and white painters will not work side by side with the blacks in the North but do it in almost every Southern State.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Racial prejudice can be more pronounced in areas that have abolished slavery compared to those where it still exists.
Alexis De Tocqueville highlights a paradox where Northern states, despite having abolished slavery, display stronger racial prejudice compared to Southern states. He observes that racial segregation in labor occurs in the North, demonstrating that the end of slavery did not eliminate deep-rooted societal biases, suggesting that the abolition of legal enslavement does not equate to the eradication of racial discrimination or prejudice.
Themes
RacePrejudiceSlaveryDiscriminationSociety
In practice
Example use cases
During a speech on civil rights, one could reference this quote to highlight the complexities surrounding race relations.
More from Alexis De Tocqueville
All quotes →Democratic communities have a natural taste for freedom: left to themselves they will seek it, cherish it, and view any deprivation of it with regret. But for equality their passion is ardent, insatiable, incessant, invincible: they call for equality in freedom; and if they cannot obtain that, they still call for equality in slavery.
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Religion, which never intervenes directly in the government of American society, should therefore be considered as the first of their political institutions
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The surface of American society is covered with a layer of democratic paint, but from time to time one can see the old aristocratic colours breaking through.
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The Indian knew how to live without wants, to suffer without complaint, and to die singing.
Alexis De TocquevilleRead
Grant me thirty years of equal division of inheritances and a free press, and I will provide you with a republic.
Alexis De TocquevilleRead
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