--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is true that Mr. Lincoln signed the…" description: "\"It is true that Mr. Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, after which there was a commitment to give 40 acres and a mule. That's where the argu..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/072/al-sharpton-2091_acres_it-is-true-that-mr-lincoln-signed-the-em_2768578.png" --- # It is true that Mr. Lincoln signed the Emancipation… ![“It is true that Mr. Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, after which there was a commitment to give 40 acres and a mule. That's where the argument, to this day, of reparations starts. We never got the 40 acres. We went all the way to Herbert Hoover, and we never got the 40 acres. We…” quote by Al Sharpton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/072/al-sharpton-2091_acres_it-is-true-that-mr-lincoln-signed-the-em_2768578.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/072/al-sharpton-2091_acres_it-is-true-that-mr-lincoln-signed-the-em_2768578.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/072/al-sharpton-2091_acres_it-is-true-that-mr-lincoln-signed-the-em_2768578.png) > “It is true that Mr. Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, after which there was a commitment to give 40 acres and a mule. That's where the argument, to this day, of reparations starts. We never got the 40 acres. We went all the way to Herbert Hoover, and we never got the 40 acres. We didn't get the mule. So we decided we'd ride this donkey as far as it would take us.” [Al Sharpton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-sharpton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The promise of reparations stems from broken post‑civil‑war promises that were never fulfilled, fueling ongoing debates about justice and compensation. **In simple terms:** Broken promises fuel reparations debate. Key Takeaway Recognize historical failures and seek equitable solutions. Themes justice history reparations inequality policy Mood reflective determined hopeful Type political historical activist When to use this quote - policy reform - educational programs - community reparations - legal action Key Concepts civil rights economic restitution historical accountability Questions to Reflect On - How can modern policy address past broken promises? - What forms of reparations are most effective? A Different Perspective Historical promises often lack enforcement mechanisms, complicating restitution. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Argument](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/argument/) [Commitment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/commitment/) [Emancipation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emancipation/) [Emancipation proclamation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emancipation-proclamation/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Mules](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mules/) [Reparations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reparations/) ## Related quotes > [President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, but prior to signing the Emancipation Proclamation, President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Act on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-n-green/president-lincoln-signed-the-emancipation-proclamation-on-january-1/) [Al N. Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-n-green/) > [Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/five-score-years-ago-a-great-american-in-whose-symbolic-shadow-we/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [In 1932, lame duck president Herbert Hoover was so desperate to remain in the White House that he dressed up as Eleanor Roosevelt. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-carson/in-1932-lame-duck-president-herbert-hoover-was-so-desperate-to-remain/) [Johnny Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-carson/) > [“It is inconceivable,” said Herbert Hoover, secretary of commerce, at the first national radio conference in 1922, “that we should allow so great a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wu/it-is-inconceivable-said-herbert-hoover-secretary-of-commerce-at-the/) [Tim Wu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wu/) > [Herbert Hoover failed through no fault of his own. The Crash of 1929 and the Great Depression were beyond his control, and every remedy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-buchanan/herbert-hoover-failed-through-no-fault-of-his-own-the-crash-of-1929/) [Pat Buchanan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-buchanan/) > [What the hell has (Herbert) Hoover got to do with it? Anyway, I had a better year than he did.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/babe-ruth/what-the-hell-has-herbert-hoover-got-to-do-with-it-anyway-i-had-a/) [Babe Ruth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/babe-ruth/) > [I majored in geology in college but have majored in Herbert Hoover ever since.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-henry-hoover/i-majored-in-geology-in-college-but-have-majored-in-herbert-hoover/) [Lou Henry Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-henry-hoover/) > [Older men declare war. But it is the youth that must fight and die. -Herbert Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/call-of-duty/older-men-declare-war-but-it-is-the-youth-that-must-fight-and-die-2/) Call Of Duty > [“By 1951, Herbert Hoover was the fifth-most-admired man in the country. Asked how he’d redeemed himself after being turned into a villain, Hoover gave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brady-carlson/by-1951-herbert-hoover-was-the-fifth-most-admired-man-in-the-country/) [Brady Carlson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brady-carlson/) > [What I find so interesting is, Herbert Hoover in August 1928 said no country in the world was closer to abolishing poverty than the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dallek/what-i-find-so-interesting-is-herbert-hoover-in-august-1928-said-no/) [Robert Dallek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dallek/) > [Hoovers didn't like Democrats because of Franklin Delano Roosevelt's libelous partisan attacks on my great-grandfather Herbert Hoover, tethering him to the Great Depression.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-hoover/hoovers-didn-t-like-democrats-because-of-franklin-delano-roosevelt-s/) [Margaret Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-hoover/) > [Furthermore, and a point I really want to make very strongly, is that this is the first Administration since Herbert Hoover not to create…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-sarbanes/furthermore-and-a-point-i-really-want-to-make-very-strongly-is-that/) [Paul Sarbanes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-sarbanes/) > [Why was there so much work-sharing in the 1930s? One reason is that government pushed for it. In his memoirs, President Herbert Hoover estimated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eichengreen/why-was-there-so-much-work-sharing-in-the-1930s-one-reason-is-that/) [Barry Eichengreen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eichengreen/) > [You raise taxes during an economic crisis time, as we did in - back in the time of Herbert Hoover, you send the country…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccain/you-raise-taxes-during-an-economic-crisis-time-as-we-did-in-back-in/) [John McCain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccain/) > [“The dictionary says progress means moving forward. Herbert Hoover was just a boy in Iowa. Then he lived all over the world helping solve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-ylvisaker/the-dictionary-says-progress-means-moving-forward-herbert-hoover-was/) [Anne Ylvisaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-ylvisaker/) ## More by Al Sharpton > [We blacks had problems in the '60s and we solved them by marching. We've still got problems - let's march.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-sharpton/we-blacks-had-problems-in-the-60s-and-we-solved-them-by-marching-we/) [Al Sharpton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-sharpton/) > [When a mother or father is willing to pay smugglers and risk the lives of their own children by sending them on a dangerous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-sharpton/when-a-mother-or-father-is-willing-to-pay-smugglers-and-risk-the/) [Al Sharpton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-sharpton/) > [My message to everyone: the next time you hear about migrant children near the border, just picture them as your own. Then think what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-sharpton/my-message-to-everyone-the-next-time-you-hear-about-migrant-children/) [Al Sharpton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-sharpton/) > [What’s wrong with denouncing white interlopers?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-sharpton/what-s-wrong-with-denouncing-white-interlopers/) [Al Sharpton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-sharpton/) > [Bill Clinton strikes me as the kind of guy who goes wherever the polls lead him, rather than leading the polls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-sharpton/bill-clinton-strikes-me-as-the-kind-of-guy-who-goes-wherever-the/) [Al Sharpton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-sharpton/) > [I feel that it is our moral obligation to stand and to be courageous with these families, and particularly Cindy, that have become the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-sharpton/i-feel-that-it-is-our-moral-obligation-to-stand-and-to-be-courageous/) [Al Sharpton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-sharpton/) > [Getting Democrats organized is like herding cats.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-sharpton/getting-democrats-organized-is-like-herding-cats/) [Al Sharpton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-sharpton/) > [I'm very cautious and very concerned about what I have initially seen, but I also believe we've got to organize like we have never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-sharpton/i-m-very-cautious-and-very-concerned-about-what-i-have-initially-seen/) [Al Sharpton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-sharpton/) > [I do believe the Democratic party has moved far to the right. I do believe that the party has a bunch of elephants running…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-sharpton/i-do-believe-the-democratic-party-has-moved-far-to-the-right-i-do/) [Al Sharpton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-sharpton/) > [I need to hear something about how he's going to bring people together in the spirit, hopefully, of Martin Luther King Jr., and if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-sharpton/i-need-to-hear-something-about-how-he-s-going-to-bring-people/) [Al Sharpton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-sharpton/) > [The Democratic Party hasn't whipped anybody into a frenzy. The assumption is that the people that are marching and protesting and standing up against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-sharpton/the-democratic-party-hasn-t-whipped-anybody-into-a-frenzy-the/) [Al Sharpton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-sharpton/) > [The resignation of Attorney General Eric Holder is met with both pride and disappointment by the Civil Rights community. We are proud that he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-sharpton/the-resignation-of-attorney-general-eric-holder-is-met-with-both/) [Al Sharpton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-sharpton/) > [ It does not appear, nor is there any reason to believe that \[ Jeff Sessions\] will put policing reform front and center in the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-sharpton/it-does-not-appear-nor-is-there-any-reason-to-believe-that-jeff/) [Al Sharpton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-sharpton/) > [I can call a march, and thousands come out, and I happen to have access to the White House at the same time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-sharpton/i-can-call-a-march-and-thousands-come-out-and-i-happen-to-have-access/) [Al Sharpton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-sharpton/) > [I've learned how to measure what I say. Al Sharpton in 1986 was trying to be heard. I was a local guy and was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-sharpton/i-ve-learned-how-to-measure-what-i-say-al-sharpton-in-1986-was-trying/) [Al Sharpton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-sharpton/) [Explore all 186 Al Sharpton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-sharpton/) ## More Acres quotes > [“I suppose there was never a reason for tearing down a cabin or scrapping a stopped automobile, if you had all those acres.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-lethem/i-suppose-there-was-never-a-reason-for-tearing-down-a-cabin-or/) [Jonathan Lethem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-lethem/) > [It were good to know how much hay an acre of every sort will bear; how many cattle the same weight of each sort…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-petty/it-were-good-to-know-how-much-hay-an-acre-of-every-sort-will-bear-how/) [William Petty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-petty/) > [In the 24 hours since this time yesterday, over 200,000 acres of rainforest have been destroyed in our world. Fully 13 million tons of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-hartmann/in-the-24-hours-since-this-time-yesterday-over-200-000-acres-of/) [Thom Hartmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-hartmann/) > [About five years ago, the courses we run in the Field Trials were 52 percent timber. The hawks live in trees, and the quail…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-carlisle/about-five-years-ago-the-courses-we-run-in-the-field-trials-were-52/) [Rick Carlisle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-carlisle/) > [ \[Footnote:\] Pliny the Elder described a Whale called "Balaena or Whirlpool, which is so long and broad as to take up more in length… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-cuppy/footnote-pliny-the-elder-described-a-whale-called-balaena-or/) [Will Cuppy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-cuppy/) > [One time we did have 300 acres in watermelons. That was fun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/delta-burke/one-time-we-did-have-300-acres-in-watermelons-that-was-fun/) [Delta Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/delta-burke/) > [Our problem with limited resources is not primarily overpopulation; it is greed. Our problem with pollution is not the invention of fluorocarbons or mass…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winkie-pratney/our-problem-with-limited-resources-is-not-primarily-overpopulation-it/) [Winkie Pratney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winkie-pratney/) > [Only by himself, with one acre and a house, will a dunce be a dunce. Once he manages to gain power, he'll turn into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-grillparzer/only-by-himself-with-one-acre-and-a-house-will-a-dunce-be-a-dunce/) [Franz Grillparzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-grillparzer/) > [And we never got the mule, let alone the forty acres.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-evers/and-we-never-got-the-mule-let-alone-the-forty-acres/) [Charles Evers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-evers/) > [I grew up in a town outside of Waco, Texas, and we had 30 acres.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-plemons/i-grew-up-in-a-town-outside-of-waco-texas-and-we-had-30-acres/) [Jesse Plemons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-plemons/) > [The poet is at the edge of our consciousness of the world, finding beyond the suspected nothingness which we imagine limits our perception another…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-davenport/the-poet-is-at-the-edge-of-our-consciousness-of-the-world-finding/) [Guy Davenport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-davenport/) > [We live on a 500-acre ranch, beautiful ranch.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tanya-tucker/we-live-on-a-500-acre-ranch-beautiful-ranch/) [Tanya Tucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tanya-tucker/) > [There is not an acre of ground on the globe that is in possession of its rightful owner, or that has not been taken…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/there-is-not-an-acre-of-ground-on-the-globe-that-is-in-possession-of/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [The city of London, within the walls, occupies a space of only 370 acres, and is but the hundred and fortieth part of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-mayhew/the-city-of-london-within-the-walls-occupies-a-space-of-only-370/) [Henry Mayhew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-mayhew/) > [The ploughman knows how many acres he shall upturn from dawn to sunset: but the thinker knows not what a day may bring forth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lancaster-spalding/the-ploughman-knows-how-many-acres-he-shall-upturn-from-dawn-to/) [John Lancaster Spalding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lancaster-spalding/) Browse all 218 Acres quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It is true that Mr. Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, after which there was a commitment to give 40 acres and a mule. 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