What I’m Reading: Life and Times of Frederick Douglass – 13 in a series – “If he learns to read the Bible it will forever unfit him to be a slave.”
”Of course he forbade her to give me any further instruction, telling her in the first place that to do so was unlawful, as it was also unsafe; “for,” said he, “if you give a n***** an inch he will take an ell. Learning will spoil the best n***** in the world. If he learns to read the Bible it will forever unfit him to be a slave. He should know nothing but the will of his master, and learn to obey it. As to himself, learning will do him no good, but a great deal of harm, making him disconsolate and unhappy. If you teach him how to read, he’ll want to know how to write, and this accomplished, he’ll be running away with himself.”
From Life and Times of Frederick Douglass: (An African American Heritage Book)
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