The Negro as a Citizen
Dublin Core
Title
The Negro as a Citizen
Subject
Editorial where the pros and "cons" of the Fourteenth Amendment are explained.
Description
Volume 7, Number 2
Creator
The Undergraduate Editorial Board
Publisher
The Undergraduate
Date
11/01/1881
Contributor
The Undergraduate Editorial Board
Coverage
"Before the war, the whites were dependent on the blacks for prosperity, the blacks were dependent on the whites for actual existence."
"My field observation is Virginia, where it is claimed their condition is better than in any other southern State. At the close of the war, the land was very cheap in the south. The negroes secured small portions and erected thereon the historical log cabin. There they may be found, living contentedly, not caring to enlarge their possessions, not tilling the soil enough to supply the actual necessaries of life. They will work only when at the starvation point. They cannot be trusted in any capacity. It is part of their religion to steal. Their religion as a whole is a mass of superstitious ideas. Their religious worship is a farce... They are too ignorant to understand the various questions of political issue, they simply follow the leadership of their white allies. They do not care to become educated. Good schools are furnished to them by the State, but statistics will show that the attendance is very small in proportion to their number."
"They take no steps to better their condition. They are not able, by reason of their condition, to contribute anything toward the prosperity of our nation."
"It is prophetic of the future. Fifteen years have passed by and they are as yet citizens in embryo. Thus they remain, an important factor in the population of the south, but worthless as exponents and examples of American citizenship."
"My field observation is Virginia, where it is claimed their condition is better than in any other southern State. At the close of the war, the land was very cheap in the south. The negroes secured small portions and erected thereon the historical log cabin. There they may be found, living contentedly, not caring to enlarge their possessions, not tilling the soil enough to supply the actual necessaries of life. They will work only when at the starvation point. They cannot be trusted in any capacity. It is part of their religion to steal. Their religion as a whole is a mass of superstitious ideas. Their religious worship is a farce... They are too ignorant to understand the various questions of political issue, they simply follow the leadership of their white allies. They do not care to become educated. Good schools are furnished to them by the State, but statistics will show that the attendance is very small in proportion to their number."
"They take no steps to better their condition. They are not able, by reason of their condition, to contribute anything toward the prosperity of our nation."
"It is prophetic of the future. Fifteen years have passed by and they are as yet citizens in embryo. Thus they remain, an important factor in the population of the south, but worthless as exponents and examples of American citizenship."
Hyperlink Item Type Metadata
URL
Collection
Citation
The Undergraduate Editorial Board , “The Negro as a Citizen,” Archives of Anti-Racist Activism, accessed October 27, 2026, https://twilightprojectantiracistrecords.middcreate.net/items/show/7.