"But I do not admit the comparison between your slaves and even the lowest class of European free labourers, for the former are allowed the exercise of no faculties but those which they enjoy in common with the brutes that perish"
- Fanny Kemble
About this Quote
This quote by Fanny Kemble is a powerful statement about the injustice of slavery. She is making a comparison between slaves and the most affordable class of European free labourers, and she is not admitting the comparison. She is saying that slaves are not given the same rights and advantages as complimentary labourers, and that they are treated as if they are no much better than animals. She is highlighting the truth that servants are not permitted to exercise their faculties, or use their abilities and talents, in the exact same way that complimentary labourers are. This quote is an effective reminder of the oppression of slavery and the requirement for equality and freedom for all. It is a pointer that everyone should be provided the very same rights and opportunities, despite their race or social status.
"The whole commerce between master and slave is a perpetual exercise of the most boisterous passions, the most unremitting despotism on the one part, and degrading submissions on the other. Our children see this, and learn to imitate it"