Technological discoveries are the spermatozoa of social change.
C. L. R. JamesRead
Du Bois marked a great stage in the history of Negro struggles when he said that Negroes could no longer accept the subordination which Booker T. Washington had preached.
Interpretation
What this quote means
C. L. R. James highlights a pivotal moment when African Americans began to reject passive acceptance of oppression.
This quote emphasizes a significant turning point in the African American struggle for civil rights, where C. L. R. James reflects on W.E.B. Du Bois' declaration that Black individuals could no longer tolerate the idea of subordination advocated by Booker T. Washington. It illustrates the shift towards a more assertive stance for equality and empowerment within the African American community, signaling a movement away from accommodation and toward active resistance against systemic racism.
Themes
African AmericanStruggleEqualitySubordinationResistance
In practice
Example use cases
During a speech on civil rights, one might reference this quote to highlight the importance of active resistance.
More from C. L. R. James
All quotes βOne of the surest signs of the estimated changes in the consciousness of the American proletariat is to be found in the character of the demands now being put forward by the leadership.
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Capitalism has socialized production. It has brought thousands of people together in the factory and involved them in new social relationships.
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I was a Labour Party man but I found myself to the left of the Labour party in Nelson, militant as that was. I came to London and in a few months I was a Trotskyist.
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Today, in American imperialism, the commodity has reached its most grandiose historical manifestation.
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Property-owners are the most energetic flag-waggers and patriots in every country, but only so long as they enjoy their possessions: to safeguard those they desert God, King and Country in a twinkling.
C. L. R. JamesRead
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This is not a contest between persons. The humblest citizen in all the land, when clad in the armor of a righteous cause, is stronger than all the hosts of error. I come to you in defense of a cause as holy as the cause of liberty - the cause of humanity.
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