--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I believe that there are four…" description: "\"“I believe that there are four institutions in American history that have shaped our approach to race and justice but remain poorly understood. The fir..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/56d/bryan-stevenson-4134_american-history_i-believe-that-there-are-four-institutio_2085698.png" --- # I believe that there are four institutions in American… ![“I believe that there are four institutions in American history that have shaped our approach to race and justice but remain poorly understood. The first, of course, is slavery. This was followed by the reign of terror that shaped the lives of people of color following the collapse of…” quote by Bryan Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/56d/bryan-stevenson-4134_american-history_i-believe-that-there-are-four-institutio_2085698.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/56d/bryan-stevenson-4134_american-history_i-believe-that-there-are-four-institutio_2085698.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/56d/bryan-stevenson-4134_american-history_i-believe-that-there-are-four-institutio_2085698.png) > ““I believe that there are four institutions in American history that have shaped our approach to race and justice but remain poorly understood. The first, of course, is slavery. This was followed by the reign of terror that shaped the lives of people of color following the collapse of Reconstruction until World War II. …The third institution, "Jim Crow," is the legalized racial segregation and suppression of basic rights that defined the American apartheid era. …The fourth institution is mass incarceration.”” [Bryan Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-stevenson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Four historic institutions—slavery, post‑Reconstruction terror, Jim Crow, and mass incarceration—shape America’s race and justice system. **In simple terms:** Four key institutions shape US race and justice issues. Key Takeaway Address each institution to reform justice. Themes justice race history policy reform Mood determined hopeful urgent Type persuasive analytical call‑to‑action When to use this quote - legislative advocacy - public education - community organizing - academic research Key Concepts systemic racism institutional legacy legal inequality Questions to Reflect On - What steps can dismantle each institution? - How can citizens support systemic change? A Different Perspective Focusing on institutions may overlook individual agency. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [American history](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-history/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Incarceration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/incarceration/) [Institutional racism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/institutional-racism/) [Jim crow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jim-crow/) [Justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justice/) [Justice system](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justice-system/) [Mass incarceration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mass-incarceration/) [Racial segregation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racial-segregation/) [Racism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racism/) [Reconstruction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reconstruction/) [Reign of terror](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reign-of-terror/) [Slavery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slavery/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) [World war](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world-war/) [World war ii](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world-war-ii/) ## Related quotes > [“Going into any prison is deeply confusing if you know anything about the racial demographics of America. The extreme overrepresentation of people of color,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-stevenson/going-into-any-prison-is-deeply-confusing-if-you-know-anything-about/) [Bryan Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-stevenson/) > [It is from numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that human history is shaped.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kennedy/it-is-from-numberless-diverse-acts-of-courage-and-belief-that-human-2/) [Robert Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kennedy/) > [“... eloquence is merely the product of intelligence. History is not shaped by men of genius. It is shaped by men of unwavering will.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taona-dumisani-chiveneko/eloquence-is-merely-the-product-of-intelligence-history-is-not-shaped/) [Taona Dumisani Chiveneko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taona-dumisani-chiveneko/) > [“history is shaped by the belief systems of those who made it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/history-is-shaped-by-the-belief-systems-of-those-who-made-it/) [Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/) > [“True, hundreds of millions may nevertheless go on believing in Islam, Christianity or Hinduism. But numbers alone don’t count for much in history. History…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/true-hundreds-of-millions-may-nevertheless-go-on-believing-in-islam/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [World history is shaped both positively and negatively by people who judge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gad-saad/world-history-is-shaped-both-positively-and-negatively-by-people-who/) [Gad Saad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gad-saad/) > [It is from numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that human history is shaped. Each time a man stands up for an ideal,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-francis-kennedy/it-is-from-numberless-diverse-acts-of-courage-and-belief-that-human/) [Robert Francis Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-francis-kennedy/) > [“Man's history is being shaped according to the difficulties it encounters.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/man-s-history-is-being-shaped-according-to-the-difficulties-it/) [Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/) > [“Few will have the greatness to bend history itself, but each of us can work to change a small portion of events. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-f-kennedy/few-will-have-the-greatness-to-bend-history-itself-but-each-of-us-can/) [Robert F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-f-kennedy/) > [Racial segregation in the South not only separated the races, but it separated the South from the rest of the country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dallek/racial-segregation-in-the-south-not-only-separated-the-races-but-it/) [Robert Dallek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dallek/) > [There's five factors or characteristics of places where kids from poor backgrounds don't do very well. And those are places that have more economic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gwen-ifill/there-s-five-factors-or-characteristics-of-places-where-kids-from/) [Gwen Ifill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gwen-ifill/) > [I remember being told by my parents when I was 4 that I couldn't go to an amusement park advertised on TV because colored…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarence-page/i-remember-being-told-by-my-parents-when-i-was-4-that-i-couldn-t-go/) [Clarence Page](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarence-page/) > [“Taft ended his opinion with an added clause, a statement so bold that it would rattle even his strongest supporters. The chief justice of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-berard/taft-ended-his-opinion-with-an-added-clause-a-statement-so-bold-that/) [Adrienne Berard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-berard/) > [I never knew about racial segregation until Martin Luther King.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bradley/i-never-knew-about-racial-segregation-until-martin-luther-king/) [Charles Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bradley/) > [There could be no more powerful argument against mixing religion and government than the success of independent African American churches in placing racial segregation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-jacoby/there-could-be-no-more-powerful-argument-against-mixing-religion-and/) [Susan Jacoby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-jacoby/) ## More by Bryan Stevenson > [I love museums, and I think they're fantastic, but they don't touch the people who I frequently think need to be touched with at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-stevenson/i-love-museums-and-i-think-they-re-fantastic-but-they-don-t-touch-the/) [Bryan Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-stevenson/) > [I've come to understand and to believe that each of us is more than the worst thing we've ever done. I believe that for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-stevenson/i-ve-come-to-understand-and-to-believe-that-each-of-us-is-more-than/) [Bryan Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-stevenson/) > [I'm persuaded that if most people saw what I see on a regular basis, they would want change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-stevenson/i-m-persuaded-that-if-most-people-saw-what-i-see-on-a-regular-basis/) [Bryan Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-stevenson/) > [When you come to Montgomery, you see fifty-nine monuments and memorials, all about the Civil War, all about Confederate leaders and generals. We have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-stevenson/when-you-come-to-montgomery-you-see-fifty-nine-monuments-and/) [Bryan Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-stevenson/) > [“These aren’t my scars, cuts, and bruises. These are my medals of honor.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-stevenson/these-aren-t-my-scars-cuts-and-bruises-these-are-my-medals-of-honor/) [Bryan Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-stevenson/) > [The Bureau of Justice reports that one in three black male babies born this century will go to jail or prison - that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-stevenson/the-bureau-of-justice-reports-that-one-in-three-black-male-babies/) [Bryan Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-stevenson/) > [If you're just the person with power, exercising that power fearfully and angrily, you're going to be an operative of injustice and inequality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-stevenson/if-you-re-just-the-person-with-power-exercising-that-power-fearfully/) [Bryan Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-stevenson/) > [In a landscape littered with all of this imagery about the nobility of the Civil War and the Confederate effort and struggle, the absence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-stevenson/in-a-landscape-littered-with-all-of-this-imagery-about-the-nobility/) [Bryan Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-stevenson/) > [If you love your community, then you need to be insisting on justice in all circumstances.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-stevenson/if-you-love-your-community-then-you-need-to-be-insisting-on-justice/) [Bryan Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-stevenson/) > [There was never a time you could get the majority of people in Alabama or Mississippi, or even southern Delaware, to vote to end…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-stevenson/there-was-never-a-time-you-could-get-the-majority-of-people-in/) [Bryan Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-stevenson/) > [I talk about my grandmother a lot, because she's an amazing person - not in some dramatic, distinct, unique way, but anybody who is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-stevenson/i-talk-about-my-grandmother-a-lot-because-she-s-an-amazing-person-not/) [Bryan Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-stevenson/) > [You can't understand what happened to Michael Brown in Ferguson, you can't understand what happened to Eric Garner in New York City, without understanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-stevenson/you-can-t-understand-what-happened-to-michael-brown-in-ferguson-you/) [Bryan Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-stevenson/) > [I know this might be broadcast broadly. But I'm 52 years old, and I'm going to admit to you that I've never had a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-stevenson/i-know-this-might-be-broadcast-broadly-but-i-m-52-years-old-and-i-m/) [Bryan Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-stevenson/) > [Are you the sum total of your worst acts?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-stevenson/are-you-the-sum-total-of-your-worst-acts/) [Bryan Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-stevenson/) > [If we want to be proud of our country, if we want to be proud as Americans, if we want to be proud of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-stevenson/if-we-want-to-be-proud-of-our-country-if-we-want-to-be-proud-as/) [Bryan Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-stevenson/) [Explore all 115 Bryan Stevenson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-stevenson/) ## More American history quotes > [Adam Clayton Powell's entire political career has to be looked at in the entire context of the American history and the history of, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/adam-clayton-powell-s-entire-political-career-has-to-be-looked-at-in/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [Don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-h-prescott/don-t-fire-until-you-see-the-whites-of-their-eyes/) [William H. Prescott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-h-prescott/) > [“In December of 2007 human bones including skulls, which have been radiocarbon dated back to between 1304 and 1424, were found in a museum…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/captain-hank-bracker-seawater-one/in-december-of-2007-human-bones-including-skulls-which-have-been/) Captain Hank Bracker, "Seawater One > [John Lane has long been recognized as one of the South's finest poets and memoirists. This debut establishes him as one of our finest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-rash/john-lane-has-long-been-recognized-as-one-of-the-south-s-finest-poets/) [Ron Rash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-rash/) > [No man-made structure in all of American history has been hated so much, by so many, for so long, with such good reason, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/no-man-made-structure-in-all-of-american-history-has-been-hated-so/) [Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) > [The problem that we have is that most Americans don't even study American history, let alone Pinochet, Mussolini, Hitler, Stalin and all these guys.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/the-problem-that-we-have-is-that-most-americans-don-t-even-study/) [Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/) > [We must not falsely teach American history in our schools. We have a law requiring state textbook oversight to guard against frauds like Zinn,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-daniels/we-must-not-falsely-teach-american-history-in-our-schools-we-have-a/) [Mitch Daniels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-daniels/) > [The only thing we have to fear is fear itself-and possibly teh bogey man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-paulsen/the-only-thing-we-have-to-fear-is-fear-itself-and-possibly-teh-bogey/) [Pat Paulsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-paulsen/) > [“Thanks in part to the rapid mechanization of cotton production in the early 1940s, which ultimately threw millions of farm laborers out of work,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-t-patterson/thanks-in-part-to-the-rapid-mechanization-of-cotton-production-in-the/) [James T. Patterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-t-patterson/) > [“dark say: berthenia belle never forget the tongue hid name”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathleen-margaret/dark-say-berthenia-belle-never-forget-the-tongue-hid-name/) [Cathleen Margaret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathleen-margaret/) > [Throughout American history many of our social gains and much of our progress toward democracy were made possible by the active intervention of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-washington/throughout-american-history-many-of-our-social-gains-and-much-of-our/) [Harold Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-washington/) > [Modern Democrats aren't the first political party to abuse power - far from it. Obama isn'€™t the first president to abuse executive power -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-harsanyi/modern-democrats-aren-t-the-first-political-party-to-abuse-power-far/) [David Harsanyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-harsanyi/) > [Medicare and Social Security have created the healthiest and most financially secure generation of senior citizens in American history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-walsh/medicare-and-social-security-have-created-the-healthiest-and-most/) [Jim Walsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-walsh/) > [The school curriculum today, particularly American history, is a shame.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/the-school-curriculum-today-particularly-american-history-is-a-shame/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [“I used to walk out, at night, to the breakwater which divides the end of the harbor form the broad moor of the salt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-doty/i-used-to-walk-out-at-night-to-the-breakwater-which-divides-the-end/) [Mark Doty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-doty/) [Browse all 685 American history quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-history/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I believe that there are four institutions in American history that have shaped our approach to race and justice but remain poorly understood. The first, of course, is slavery. This was followed by the reign of terror that shaped the lives of people of color following the collapse of Reconstruction until World War II. …The third institution, \"Jim Crow,\" is the legalized racial segregation and suppression of basic rights that defined the American apartheid era. …The fourth institution is mass incarceration.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Bryan Stevenson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-stevenson/i-believe-that-there-are-four-institutions-in-american-history-that/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "American history" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-stevenson/i-believe-that-there-are-four-institutions-in-american-history-that/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/56d/bryan-stevenson-4134_american-history_i-believe-that-there-are-four-institutio_2085698.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/56d/bryan-stevenson-4134_american-history_i-believe-that-there-are-four-institutio_2085698.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/56d/bryan-stevenson-4134_american-history_i-believe-that-there-are-four-institutio_2085698.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I believe that there are four institutions in American history that have shaped our approach to race and…” — Bryan Stevenson", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Bryan Stevenson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-stevenson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“I believe that there are four...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-stevenson/i-believe-that-there-are-four-institutions-in-american-history-that/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-stevenson/i-believe-that-there-are-four-institutions-in-american-history-that/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```