There are two things that have always haunted me: the brutality of the European traders and the stories I've heard about Africans selling other Africans into slavery.
Henry Louis GatesRead
Because Lincoln is so closely identified with what it is to be American, everyone wants to claim him, to rewrite his story to satisfy their own particular needs. For my own people, it was important to imagine him as the Great Emancipator, the Moses who led us out of slavery.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects the way people reinterpret Lincoln's legacy to fit their narratives, particularly in reference to emancipation.
Henry Louis Gates discusses the complex legacy of Abraham Lincoln, emphasizing how different groups within America seek to claim him and recast his story to align with their own historical narratives and ideals. For some, especially within the African American community, Lincoln is seen as a symbol of freedom and hope, akin to Moses, who led people out of bondage. This speaks to the broader theme of how historical figures are often reinterpreted to align with contemporary values and identities.
Themes
LincolnEmancipationIdentityHistoryLegacy
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion on American history, this quote can highlight the differing historical perceptions of Lincoln.
More from Henry Louis Gates
All quotes →It's not white versus black any more, it's haves versus have-nots. Unless the black middle-classes unite to promote the interests of the black underclass, tension between them is inevitable. What we, the black middle class have to do, is think of a strategy to avert that.
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In America there is institutional racism that we all inherit and participate in, like breathing the air in this room - and we have to become sensitive to it.
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In fact, the class divide in the black community is now seen by some as a permanent aspect of our existence.
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The historical basis for the gap between the black middle class and underclass shows that ending discrimination, by itself, would not eradicate black poverty and dysfunction. We also need intervention to promulgate a middle-class ethic of success among the poor, while expanding opportunities for economic betterment.
Henry Louis GatesRead
The only people who live in a post-black world are four people who live in a little white house on Pennsylvania Avenue. The idea that America is post-racial or post-black because a man I admire, Barack Obama, is president of the United States, is a joke. And I hope no one will even wonder about this crazy fiction again.
Henry Louis GatesRead
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