If America has a civic religion, the First Amendment is its central article of faith. — Henry Louis Gates Copy Share Image
The first step toward tolerance is respect and the first step toward respect is knowledge. — Henry Louis Gates Copy Share Image
Keeping the Union together, freeing slaves and being assassinated all added up to creating 'Lincoln the myth.' He overcame a lot of… — Henry Louis Gates Copy Share Image
Where do real conversations about citizenship occur? In our schools. Think about the things you learned in first grade. "My Country 'Tis… — Henry Louis Gates Copy Share Image
My father and I made genetics history. We were the first African-Americans and the first father and son anywhere to have their… — Henry Louis Gates Copy Share Image
Very few, if any, first-generation black or white or Asian kids will pursue a Ph.D. They'll pursue the professions for economic security.… — Henry Louis Gates Copy Share Image
You can find virtually everybody black back as far as the 1870 census. Why 1870? That's when the ex-slaves first have surnames.… — Henry Louis Gates Copy Share Image
I first learned that there were black people living in some place called other than the United States in the western hemisphere… — Henry Louis Gates Copy Share Image
The biggest surprise for me, without a doubt, was that the first black people who came to the United States weren't the… — Henry Louis Gates Copy Share Image
First we have to recognize that the cause of poverty is both structural and behavioral. And the first thing about the behavior… — Henry Louis Gates Copy Share Image
The biggest surprise for me, without a doubt, was that the first black people who came to the United States weren't the… — Henry Louis Gates Copy Share Image
What people forget is that the most radical thing about Obama is that he was the first black man in history to… — Henry Louis Gates Copy Share Image
The first slave came to Florida in 1526. The first one we know by name, Esteban, which means Stephen, came a couple… — Henry Louis Gates Copy Share Image
My father, if anything, first and last, was a man of words. He loved stories; he didn't live for stories, exactly, but… — Henry Louis Gates Copy Share Image
Let's face it - think of Africa, and the first images that come to mind are of war, poverty, famine and flies.… — Henry Louis Gates Copy Share Image
In Ethiopia, the black people became Christians 1700 years ago, hundreds of years before Northern Europe turned to Christianity... And here, most of the… — Henry Louis Gates Copy Share
Politicians will not put forth programs aimed at the problems of poor blacks while their turnout remains so low. — Henry Louis Gates Copy Share
I'm a tech geek. Whenever I read about something new, I think to myself, How can I take this and make it black? — Henry Louis Gates Copy Share
I think that the implication of King's assassination has not been fully appreciated. — Henry Louis Gates Copy Share
I want to be remembered as someone who tried to bring the story of our ancestors to the broadest possible audience. I want to… — Henry Louis Gates Copy Share
In 1957, when I was in second grade, black children integrated Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. We watched it on TV. All… — Henry Louis Gates Copy Share
Since the day Martin Luther King was killed, the black middle classes have almost quadrupled, but the percentage of black children living on or… — Henry Louis Gates Copy Share
Because Lincoln is so closely identified with what it is to be American, everyone wants to claim him, to rewrite his story to satisfy… — Henry Louis Gates Copy Share
Wherever you go in the history of America, there have been Black people making contributions, but their contributions have been obscured, lost, buried. — Henry Louis Gates Copy Share
The act of writing for the slave constituted the act of creating a public, historical self, not only the self of the individual author… — Henry Louis Gates Copy Share
You can say I had a severe case of 'Roots' envy. I wanted to be like Alex Haley, and I wanted to be able… — Henry Louis Gates Copy Share
