"The power of the ballot we need in sheer defense, else what shall save us from a second slavery?"

This quote by W. E. B. Du Bois speaks with the importance of ballot legal rights for African Americans in the very early 20th century. Du Bois was a famous civil liberties leader and scholar that fought for the legal rights of African Americans. He believed that the power of the ballot was crucial for African Americans to safeguard themselves versus the oppressive forces of racism as well as discrimination. He was afraid that without the right to vote, African Americans would undergo a 2nd slavery, a slavery of the mind as well as spirit. He suggested that the right to elect was necessary for African Americans to get political power and to be able to fight for their legal rights. He believed that the power of the ballot was the only means to ensure that African Americans can safeguard themselves from the oppressive pressures of racism as well as discrimination.