Fifty Years of Freedom: with matters of vital importance to both the white and colored people of the United StatesGrimké, Francis J. (Francis James)
History
Fifty Years of Freedom: with matters of vital importance to both the white and colored people of the United States
Grimké, Francis J. (Francis James)
African Americans
necessary for him to be particularly concerned about race interests, but
will leave him free to be concerned about those interests which are
common to all the people. Such a policy will also set free for higher
and nobler uses all the ability, the energy, the resources that are now
being expended in efforts to keep the Negro down and which will be of
incalculable benefit to the Nation. Think of how much time, how much
thought, how much energy are used up in this needless race friction, and
how much the Nation is losing by this misuse of valuable time, thought,
energy! If you, who are fighting the Negro,—you who are determined to
reduce him to a pariah class, would only turn your thought and energy
towards upbuilding the Republic—materially, intellectually, morally,
spiritually,—towards fighting those evils that are really endangering
the Republic,—greed, corruption, impurity, lawlessness, intemperance,
how much more valuable your services would be. There never was a time
when the Republic needed your services more than if does to-day, in
harmonizing the elements of its population, in encouraging a spirit of
fraternity, of brotherhood. It is not the function of a patriot, of a
lover of his country to array class against class, race against race;
that is the role of the demagogue, the low panderer to passion and
prejudice for selfish ends. This race friction ought to cease; and it
will cease if you will do the right thing; if you will listen to reason
and common sense. It is not the Negro that is keeping up the friction,
but the white man.
(4). I want to say to those who are friendly to us; who believe that we
have rights under the constitution, and that those rights ought to be
recognized:
(1). We are profoundly thankful to you for your sympathy, for your
good-will, and for all that you have done to cheer and encourage us.
Some of you have taught in our schools, have worked among us as
missionaries, have contributed of your means to aid us in our education,
in our development; for all of which we are grateful.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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