We live in a society of an imposed forgetfulness, a society that depends on public amnesia.
Angela DavisRead
Had it not been for slavery, the death penalty would have likely been abolished in America. Slavery became a haven for the death penalty.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Angela Davis suggests that the institution of slavery preserved the continuation of the death penalty in America.
In this quote, Angela Davis argues that the historical context of slavery in the United States allowed for the perpetuation of the death penalty, implying that if slavery had not existed, society might have progressed towards abolishing the death penalty much earlier. She highlights the connection between systemic injustices and the legal practices that sustain them, prompting reflection on how historical oppression shapes contemporary legal and moral landscapes.
Themes
SlaveryDeath PenaltyJusticeHistoryOppression
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used in a discussion about the legacy of slavery and its influence on modern justice systems.
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Racism is a much more clandestine, much more hidden kind of phenomenon, but at the same time it's perhaps far more terrible than it's ever been.
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Imprisonment has become the response of first resort to far too many of our social problems.
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It's true that it's within the realm of cultural politics that young people tend to work through political issues, which I think is good, although it's not going to solve the problems
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Radical simply means 'grasping things at the root.'
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