--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Everybody has asked the question, and…" description: "\"Everybody has asked the question, and they learned to ask it early of the abolitionists, 'What shall we do with the Negro?' I have had but one answer f..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/094/frederick-douglass-859_beginning_everybody-has-asked-the-question-and-the_698685.jpg" --- # Everybody has asked the question, and they learned to ask… ![“Everybody has asked the question, and they learned to ask it early of the abolitionists, 'What shall we do with the Negro?' I have had but one answer from the beginning. Do nothing with us! Your doing with us has already played the mischief with us.” quote by Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/094/frederick-douglass-859_beginning_everybody-has-asked-the-question-and-the_698685.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/094/frederick-douglass-859_beginning_everybody-has-asked-the-question-and-the_698685.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/094/frederick-douglass-859_beginning_everybody-has-asked-the-question-and-the_698685.jpg) > “Everybody has asked the question, and they learned to ask it early of the abolitionists, 'What shall we do with the Negro?' I have had but one answer from the beginning. Do nothing with us! Your doing with us has already played the mischief with us.” [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The question about the Negro’s place is answered by doing nothing; oppression already harms them. **In simple terms:** Inaction harms the oppressed; we must act. Key Takeaway Take active steps to support oppressed groups. Themes justice racism activism history Mood urgent determined Type historical motivational When to use this quote - policy advocacy - education - community support Key Concepts human rights systemic oppression Questions to Reflect On - What concrete actions can address systemic racism? - How does inaction perpetuate harm? A Different Perspective Change can be slow and met with resistance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Abolitionists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abolitionists-527391/) [Abolitionists Shall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abolitionists-shall-4975419/) [Beginning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beginning/) [Early](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/early/) [Everybody Asked](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/everybody-asked-3431789/) [Negro Answer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/negro-answer-1914459/) [Nothing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nothing/) [Question](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/question/) [Racism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racism/) [Shall Negro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shall-negro-1914461/) [Us](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/us/) ## Related quotes > [Everybody has asked the question . . . 'What shall we do with the Negro?' I have had but one answer from the beginning.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/everybody-has-asked-the-question-what-shall-we-do-with-the-negro-i/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [Everybody has asked the question, ... 'What shall we do with the Negro?' I have had but one answer from the beginning. Do nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/everybody-has-asked-the-question-what-shall-we-do-with-the-negro-i-3/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [“Everybody has asked the question. . ."What shall we do with the Negro?" I have had but one answer from the beginning. Do nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everybody-has-asked-the-question-what-shall-we-do-with-the-negro-i-2/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The seeds of freedom . . . have now been scattered where despotism and tyranny ranked and ruled, will be watered by the enlivening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-mcneal-turner/the-seeds-of-freedom-have-now-been-scattered-where-despotism-and/) [Henry McNeal Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-mcneal-turner/) > [When everybody asked me when they were going to see more out of Terence Crawford, I always told them, 'Just put me in there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-crawford/when-everybody-asked-me-when-they-were-going-to-see-more-out-of/) [Terence Crawford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-crawford/) > [ In one point of view, we, the abolitionists and colored people, should meet \[the Dred Scott\] decision, unlooked for and monstrous as it appears,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/in-one-point-of-view-we-the-abolitionists-and-colored-people-should/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [“just at that time, the slightest manifestation of humanity toward a colored person was denounced as abolitionism, and that name subjected its bearer to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/just-at-that-time-the-slightest-manifestation-of-humanity-toward-a/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [Everybody asked me about Aaron Chubb. I never knew him, but I knew I was kin to him. I was asked that over 1,000 times.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-chubb/everybody-asked-me-about-aaron-chubb-i-never-knew-him-but-i-knew-i/) [Nick Chubb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-chubb/) > [Oftentimes, a history book in school will talk about the Underground Railroad as if it's one sentence. But thousands of people decided to run,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jurnee-smollett-bell/oftentimes-a-history-book-in-school-will-talk-about-the-underground/) [Jurnee Smollett-Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jurnee-smollett-bell/) > [Is art influential? It can be - 'Uncle Tom's Cabin' rallied abolitionists, and 'The Jungle' provoked the demand for a safer food industry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-shetterly/is-art-influential-it-can-be-uncle-tom-s-cabin-rallied-abolitionists/) [Will Shetterly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-shetterly/) > [Enslaving each other was what human beings had done for ages. And the abolitionist movement was greeted with incredulity. Conservative spokesmen ridiculed the abolitionists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-hawken/enslaving-each-other-was-what-human-beings-had-done-for-ages-and-the/) [Paul Hawken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-hawken/) > [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/) > [“Doak and other early abolitionists planted a host of Presbyterian churches and “log cabin colleges” that taught a strong antislavery doctrine. They laid the basis…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-himes/doak-and-other-early-abolitionists-planted-a-host-of-presbyterian/) [Andrew Himes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-himes/) > [I was in favour of the death penalty, and disposed to regard abolitionists as people whose hearts were bigger than their heads. Four years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-gowers/i-was-in-favour-of-the-death-penalty-and-disposed-to-regard/) [Ernest Gowers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-gowers/) > [Many abolitionists have yet to learn the ABC of woman's rights.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-b-anthony/many-abolitionists-have-yet-to-learn-the-abc-of-woman-s-rights/) [Susan B. Anthony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-b-anthony/) ## More by Frederick Douglass > [“A treacherous President stood in the way; and it can be easily seen how reluctant good men might be to admit an apostasy which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/a-treacherous-president-stood-in-the-way-and-it-can-be-easily-seen/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [“But I should be false in the earliest sentiments of my soul, if I suppressed the opinion. I prefer to be true to myself,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/but-i-should-be-false-in-the-earliest-sentiments-of-my-soul-if-i/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [A man who will enslave his own blood, may not be safely relied on for magnamity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/a-man-who-will-enslave-his-own-blood-may-not-be-safely-relied-on-for/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [“I assert most unhesitatingly, that the religion of the south is a mere covering for the most horrid crimes, - a justifier of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-assert-most-unhesitatingly-that-the-religion-of-the-south-is-a-mere/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [I assert most unhesitatingly, that the religion of the South is a mere covering for the most horrid crimes—a justifier of the most appalling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-assert-most-unhesitatingly-that-the-religion-of-the-south-is-a-mere-2/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/the-limits-of-tyrants-are-prescribed-by-the-endurance-of-those-whom/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/power-concedes-nothing-without-a-demand-it-never-did-and-it-never-will/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [“We have all met a class of men, very remarkable for their activity, and who yet make but little headway in life; men who,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/we-have-all-met-a-class-of-men-very-remarkable-for-their-activity-and/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [“The fatal poison of irresponsible power was already in her hands, and soon commenced its infernal work. That cheerful eye, under the influence of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/the-fatal-poison-of-irresponsible-power-was-already-in-her-hands-and/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [A battle lost or won is easily described, understood, and appreciated, but the moral growth of a great nation requires reflection, as well as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/a-battle-lost-or-won-is-easily-described-understood-and-appreciated/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [Knowledge makes a man unfit to be a slave.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/knowledge-makes-a-man-unfit-to-be-a-slave/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [I was broken in body, soul, and spirit. 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