--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you are going to abolish slavery, that…" description: "\"If you are going to abolish slavery, that opens up all these other questions: what system of labor is going to replace slave labor? What system of race..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9dd/eric-foner-20891_abolish_if-you-are-going-to-abolish-slavery-that_2605062.jpg" --- # If you are going to abolish slavery, that opens up all… ![“If you are going to abolish slavery, that opens up all these other questions: what system of labor is going to replace slave labor? What system of race relations is going to replace the race relations of slavery? Who is going to have power in the post-war South? The Emancipation Proclamation…” quote by Eric Foner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9dd/eric-foner-20891_abolish_if-you-are-going-to-abolish-slavery-that_2605062.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9dd/eric-foner-20891_abolish_if-you-are-going-to-abolish-slavery-that_2605062.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9dd/eric-foner-20891_abolish_if-you-are-going-to-abolish-slavery-that_2605062.jpg) > “If you are going to abolish slavery, that opens up all these other questions: what system of labor is going to replace slave labor? What system of race relations is going to replace the race relations of slavery? Who is going to have power in the post-war South? The Emancipation Proclamation doesn't answer that question, but it throws \[it\] open.” [Eric Foner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-foner/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Abolishing slavery raises complex questions about labor, race, and power structures that must be addressed for true transformation **In simple terms:** Ending slavery creates new challenges for labor and race relations Key Takeaway Consider the broader impacts of systemic change Themes history social justice political transition Mood analytical serious Type historical critical When to use this quote - policy reform - education - community rebuilding Key Concepts economic systems racial equity power dynamics Questions to Reflect On - What labor system should replace slavery? - Who should hold power after emancipation? A Different Perspective Solutions to slavery's legacy are not automatic; they require deliberate planning ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Emancipation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emancipation/) [Emancipation proclamation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emancipation-proclamation/) [Labor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/labor/) [Post war](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/post-war/) [Race](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/race/) [Race relations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/race-relations/) [Slave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slave/) [Slave labor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slave-labor/) [Slavery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slavery/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ## Related quotes > [“Two hundred years ago when slavery was going on it was illegal to educate a slave, particularly to teach them to read. Why do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-carson/two-hundred-years-ago-when-slavery-was-going-on-it-was-illegal-to/) [Ben Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-carson/) > [“The struggle against slavery went on forever, the struggle for women's rights has been going on for centuries, the effort to overcome"wage slavery"—that's been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-struggle-against-slavery-went-on-forever-the-struggle-for-women-s/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [There might be some sinister modern form of slavery going on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordan-peele/there-might-be-some-sinister-modern-form-of-slavery-going-on/) [Jordan Peele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-peele/) > [Lincoln has accepted America as a biracial society. He's talking about giving at least some black men the right to vote. In the Emancipation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-foner/lincoln-has-accepted-america-as-a-biracial-society-he-s-talking-about/) [Eric Foner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-foner/) > [Abolish slavery tomorrow, and not a sentence or syllable of the Constitution need be altered. It was purposely so framed as to give no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/abolish-slavery-tomorrow-and-not-a-sentence-or-syllable-of-the/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [“Modern society did not abolish slavery, but only regulated it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dario-de-judicibus/modern-society-did-not-abolish-slavery-but-only-regulated-it/) [Dario de Judicibus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dario-de-judicibus/) > [Well for one, the 13th amendment to the constitution of the US which abolished slavery - did not abolish slavery for those convicted of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-davis/well-for-one-the-13th-amendment-to-the-constitution-of-the-us-which/) [Angela Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-davis/) > [“You must abolish your slavery yourselves. Do not depend for its abolition upon god or a superman. Remember that it is not enough that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-r-ambedkar-2/you-must-abolish-your-slavery-yourselves-do-not-depend-for-its/) [B.R. Ambedkar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-r-ambedkar-2/) > [The Spanish Civil War, Britain was not involved in it. Going back a bit, there was the naval blockade to stop the slave trade…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-corbyn/the-spanish-civil-war-britain-was-not-involved-in-it-going-back-a-bit/) [Jeremy Corbyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-corbyn/) > [When we abolish the slavery of half of humanity, together with the whole system of hypocrisy it implies, then the "division" of humanity will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/when-we-abolish-the-slavery-of-half-of-humanity-together-with-the/) [Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/) > [“Even when the 13th Amendment was passed to abolish slavery with an exception of servitude as a penalty for criminal conviction, the introduction of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dumisani-tafadzwa-mayele/even-when-the-13th-amendment-was-passed-to-abolish-slavery-with-an/) Dumisani Tafadzwa Mayele > [A slave- holder, who has decided to abolish slavery, does not consult his slaves whether they desire freedom or not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/a-slave-holder-who-has-decided-to-abolish-slavery-does-not-consult/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [We rail at trade, but the historian of the world will see that it was the principle of liberty; that it settled America, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/we-rail-at-trade-but-the-historian-of-the-world-will-see-that-it-was/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [It is proclaimed by the great leaders of that party, by its political conventions, by its ministers of the Gospel, and by every other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-proclaimed-by-the-great-leaders-of-that-party-by-its-political/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [ A \[desire\] to abolish slavery prevails in North America, many of the Pennsylvanians have set their slaves at liberty, and \[Virginia legislators\] have petitioned… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/a-desire-to-abolish-slavery-prevails-in-north-america-many-of-the/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) ## More by Eric Foner > [“Successful teaching rests both on a genuine and selfless concern for students and on the ability to convey to them a love of history.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-foner/successful-teaching-rests-both-on-a-genuine-and-selfless-concern-for/) [Eric Foner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-foner/) > [A man working for wages his whole life is not really free. That is why Jefferson said, you have to own land. Southerners said,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-foner/a-man-working-for-wages-his-whole-life-is-not-really-free-that-is-why/) [Eric Foner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-foner/) > [There are those who view the abolitionists as just maniacs, apolitical fanatics who helped to cause the war, and Lincoln is the model of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-foner/there-are-those-who-view-the-abolitionists-as-just-maniacs-apolitical/) [Eric Foner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-foner/) > [“New laws also redefined in the interest of the planter the terms of credit and the right to property—the essence of economic power in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-foner/new-laws-also-redefined-in-the-interest-of-the-planter-the-terms-of/) [Eric Foner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-foner/) > [Colonization was the idea that once slavery ended African-Americans should be encouraged - or required, in some people's view - required to leave the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-foner/colonization-was-the-idea-that-once-slavery-ended-african-americans/) [Eric Foner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-foner/) > [ I don't \[even\] know the number of books on Abraham Lincoln. Ten thousand, twelve thousand? I have seen various numbers. It seems like every… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-foner/i-don-t-even-know-the-number-of-books-on-abraham-lincoln-ten-thousand/) [Eric Foner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-foner/) > [“Ironically, as Illinois Sen. Richard Yates pointed out, opponents of expansionism employed arguments extremely reminiscent of proslavery ideology, while its supporters upheld the principle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-foner/ironically-as-illinois-sen-richard-yates-pointed-out-opponents-of/) [Eric Foner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-foner/) > [Whatever Lincoln's racial views, which are not totally modern and egalitarian in many ways, he believes blacks should have this natural right to improve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-foner/whatever-lincoln-s-racial-views-which-are-not-totally-modern-and/) [Eric Foner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-foner/) > [“It is a well known fact that Abraham Lincoln spent much of his spare time visiting wounded soldiers in Union Army hospitals. I've spent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-foner/it-is-a-well-known-fact-that-abraham-lincoln-spent-much-of-his-spare/) [Eric Foner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-foner/) > [“Republicans, white and black, heaped scorn upon “respectables” who did not participate directly in the violence but “could not stop their sons from murdering…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-foner/republicans-white-and-black-heaped-scorn-upon-respectables-who-did/) [Eric Foner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-foner/) > [Look, Mrs. McGillicuddy, it's not my fault your son jumped out a dorm room window on Christmas eve. I've written over fifty books as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-foner/look-mrs-mcgillicuddy-it-s-not-my-fault-your-son-jumped-out-a-dorm/) [Eric Foner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-foner/) > [Who owns history? Everyone and no one--which is why the study of the past is a constantly evolving, never-ending journey of discovery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-foner/who-owns-history-everyone-and-no-one-which-is-why-the-study-of-the/) [Eric Foner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-foner/) > [For historians, hindsight can be a treacherous ally. Enabling us to trace the hidden patterns of past events, it beguiles us with the mirage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-foner/for-historians-hindsight-can-be-a-treacherous-ally-enabling-us-to/) [Eric Foner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-foner/) > [In a democratic society, as Max Weber said, what is possible is only possible because some people have demanded the impossible. The abolitionists helped…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-foner/in-a-democratic-society-as-max-weber-said-what-is-possible-is-only/) [Eric Foner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-foner/) > [I admire Lincoln enormously and I think what's interesting about Lincoln is how he changes, it's not that he held the same view throughout…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-foner/i-admire-lincoln-enormously-and-i-think-what-s-interesting-about/) [Eric Foner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-foner/) [Explore all 30 Eric Foner quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-foner/) ## More Abolish quotes > [To be creative means to connect. It's to abolish the gap between the body, the mind and the soul, between science and art, between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nawal-el-saadawi/to-be-creative-means-to-connect-it-s-to-abolish-the-gap-between-the/) [Nawal El Saadawi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nawal-el-saadawi/) > [I will not be a Democrat or a Republican. They are the problem, not the solution. We need to abolish political parties in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-ventura/i-will-not-be-a-democrat-or-a-republican-they-are-the-problem-not-the/) [Jesse Ventura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-ventura/) > [Do not suppose that abuses are eliminated by destroying the object which is abused. Men can go wrong with wine and women. Shall we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther/do-not-suppose-that-abuses-are-eliminated-by-destroying-the-object/) [Martin Luther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther/) > [Throughout the last century there were multiple attempts at giving Afghan women more autonomy, to change marriage laws, to abolish the practice of bride…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/throughout-the-last-century-there-were-multiple-attempts-at-giving/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [But perhaps the next step isn't to, once again, expand the otherwise narrow definition of marriage but to altogether abolish the false distinction between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-kohn/but-perhaps-the-next-step-isn-t-to-once-again-expand-the-otherwise/) [Sally Kohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-kohn/) > [I know we can't abolish prejudice through laws, but we can set up guidelines for our actions by legislation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-know-we-can-t-abolish-prejudice-through-laws-but-we-can-set-up/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [What we need is someone to abolish the House Of Lords, get rid of the Royal Family.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-boorman/what-we-need-is-someone-to-abolish-the-house-of-lords-get-rid-of-the/) [John Boorman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-boorman/) > [There is not a right too long denied to which we do not aspire in order to achieve; there is not a wrong too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-gompers/there-is-not-a-right-too-long-denied-to-which-we-do-not-aspire-in/) [Samuel Gompers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-gompers/) > [Environmental scientists also show us clearly that from the environmental and ecological points of view that nuclear war is not preventable. The only way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tadatoshi-akiba/environmental-scientists-also-show-us-clearly-that-from-the/) Tadatoshi Akiba > [We should abolish 'work.' By that I mean abolishing the distinction between work and leisure, one of the greatest mistakes of the last century,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-zeldin/we-should-abolish-work-by-that-i-mean-abolishing-the-distinction/) [Theodore Zeldin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-zeldin/) > [The Bolsheviks started not just on the killing of private property; they were trying to abolish money itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anatoly-chubais/the-bolsheviks-started-not-just-on-the-killing-of-private-property/) [Anatoly Chubais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anatoly-chubais/) > [Let us leave the EEC, abolish human rights laws, take TV sets, pool tables and phones out of prisons, bring back corporal and capital…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-bates/let-us-leave-the-eec-abolish-human-rights-laws-take-tv-sets-pool/) [Ken Bates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-bates/) > [Government spending cannot create additional jobs. If the government provides the funds required by taxing the citizens or by borrowing from the public, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/government-spending-cannot-create-additional-jobs-if-the-government/) [Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/) > [Liberty is to faction, what air is to fire, an aliment without which it instantly expires. But it could not be a less folly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-madison/liberty-is-to-faction-what-air-is-to-fire-an-aliment-without-which-it/) [James Madison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-madison/) > [I know in London a Welsh hairdresser who has striven so vehemently to abolish his accent that he sounds like a man speaking with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dylan-thomas/i-know-in-london-a-welsh-hairdresser-who-has-striven-so-vehemently-to/) [Dylan Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dylan-thomas/) Browse all 300 Abolish quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If you are going to abolish slavery, that opens up all these other questions: what system of labor is going to replace slave labor? What system of race relations is going to replace the race relations of slavery? Who is going to have power in the post-war South? 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