--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Slaves are generally expected to sing as…" description: "\"Slaves are generally expected to sing as well as to work.\" — Frederick Douglass" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb8/frederick-douglass-859_expected_slaves-are-generally-expected-to-sing-as_2410860.png" --- # Slaves are generally expected to sing as well as to work. ![“Slaves are generally expected to sing as well as to work.” quote by Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb8/frederick-douglass-859_expected_slaves-are-generally-expected-to-sing-as_2410860.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb8/frederick-douglass-859_expected_slaves-are-generally-expected-to-sing-as_2410860.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb8/frederick-douglass-859_expected_slaves-are-generally-expected-to-sing-as_2410860.png) > “Slaves are generally expected to sing as well as to work.” [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. Slaves were forced to perform both labor and entertainment, highlighting the dehumanizing expectations placed upon them. **In simple terms:** Slaves had to work and sing, showing cruel exploitation. Key Takeaway Recognize and challenge exploitative expectations. Themes exploitation human rights labor culture Mood somber reflective Type historical social commentary When to use this quote - historical analysis - civil rights education - theatrical productions - museum exhibits Key Concepts racial oppression forced performance psychological control Questions to Reflect On - How do forced performances affect identity? - What modern parallels exist? A Different Perspective The quote may overlook variations in individual experiences and agency. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Slavery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slavery/) [Slaves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slaves/) ## Related quotes > [Black women in music are always expected to sing R&B or soul: we are always boxed in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bree-runway/black-women-in-music-are-always-expected-to-sing-r-b-or-soul-we-are/) [Bree Runway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bree-runway/) > [I was so fortunate to sing and work with so many amazing performers and artists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rayvon-owen/i-was-so-fortunate-to-sing-and-work-with-so-many-amazing-performers/) [Rayvon Owen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rayvon-owen/) > [In the olden days, everybody sang. You were expected to sing as well as talk. It was a mark of the cultured man to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-bernstein/in-the-olden-days-everybody-sang-you-were-expected-to-sing-as-well-as/) [Leonard Bernstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-bernstein/) > [Mileys music will sneak in there every now and then. The Climb is good or Party in the USA. Even better, I will just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liam-hemsworth/mileys-music-will-sneak-in-there-every-now-and-then-the-climb-is-good/) [Liam Hemsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liam-hemsworth/) > [Who would be free themselves must strike the blow. Better even to die free than to live slaves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/who-would-be-free-themselves-must-strike-the-blow-better-even-to-die/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [“If any one thing in my experience, more than another, served to deepen my conviction of the infernal character of slavery, and to fill…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/if-any-one-thing-in-my-experience-more-than-another-served-to-deepen/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [“She had been the source of all his wealth; she had peopled his plantation with slaves; she had become a great grandmother in his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/she-had-been-the-source-of-all-his-wealth-she-had-peopled-his/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [“their base ingratitude to my poor old grandmother. She had served my old master faithfully from youth to old age. She had been the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/their-base-ingratitude-to-my-poor-old-grandmother-she-had-served-my/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [In a lot of movies, African-Americans are either maids or slaves, but that's not all they were. We need to show that. And we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-schroeder/in-a-lot-of-movies-african-americans-are-either-maids-or-slaves-but/) [Allison Schroeder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-schroeder/) > [We know, Southern men declare that their slaves are better off than hired laborers amongst us. How little they know, whereof they speak! There…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/we-know-southern-men-declare-that-their-slaves-are-better-off-than/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [“The master doesn’t need to chain his slaves; their needs will chain them to him. You can end slavery by the stroke of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bangambiki-habyarimana/the-master-doesn-t-need-to-chain-his-slaves-their-needs-will-chain/) [Bangambiki Habyarimana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bangambiki-habyarimana/) > [“Every nation is part of the history we inherit, blacks and whites, slaves and gods; we have no other option, embracing each other.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-f-moonzajer/every-nation-is-part-of-the-history-we-inherit-blacks-and-whites/) [M.F. Moonzajer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-f-moonzajer/) > [I always read all these books about the slaves. My mother is very educated. My father would talk to us like we were grown…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wynton-marsalis/i-always-read-all-these-books-about-the-slaves-my-mother-is-very/) [Wynton Marsalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wynton-marsalis/) > [If we gotta fight and die for America, why should we be treated like slaves in America?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hosea-williams/if-we-gotta-fight-and-die-for-america-why-should-we-be-treated-like/) Hosea Williams > [I free slaves because I believe we are all created equal. I just can't think of anything that has a higher purpose than putting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-williams/i-free-slaves-because-i-believe-we-are-all-created-equal-i-just-can-t/) [Virginia Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-williams/) ## 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. My natural elasticity was crushed, my intellect languished, the disposition to read departed, the cheerful spark…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-was-broken-in-body-soul-and-spirit-my-natural-elasticity-was/) [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 increasing my contentment; it only increased my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my-2/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [At a time like this, scorching irony, not convincing argument, is needed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/at-a-time-like-this-scorching-irony-not-convincing-argument-is-needed/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) [Explore all 348 Frederick Douglass quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) ## More Expected quotes > [I would borrow money all day long, if the cost of borrowing is less than the expected return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-schneider/i-would-borrow-money-all-day-long-if-the-cost-of-borrowing-is-less/) [Brad Schneider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-schneider/) > [A federal court has ruled that the U.S. Postal Service must reduce its stamp prices. 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I have always expected a great deal of myself, and if I fail, I fail…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophia-loren/i-have-never-judged-myself-by-other-people-s-standards-i-have-always/) [Sophia Loren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophia-loren/) > [But people only die in proper duels, you know, with real wizards. The most you and Malfoy’ll be able to do is send sparks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/but-people-only-die-in-proper-duels-you-know-with-real-wizards-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [True love does not consist in trying to correct others, but in feeling joy that things are better than we expected.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/true-love-does-not-consist-in-trying-to-correct-others-but-in-feeling/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [Playing in the NFL, you're expected to perform and perform well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-jones/playing-in-the-nfl-you-re-expected-to-perform-and-perform-well/) [Daniel Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-jones/) > [Fransisco, you're some kind of very high nobility, aren't you?" He answered, "Not yet. The reason my family has lasted for such a long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/fransisco-you-re-some-kind-of-very-high-nobility-aren-t-you-he/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [We were always expected to see Quebec's side of things, but there was damned little reciprocity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judy-lamarsh/we-were-always-expected-to-see-quebec-s-side-of-things-but-there-was/) [Judy LaMarsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judy-lamarsh/) > [When you're walking at the airport, you're expected to smile at people because they know you... I find that tough. I'm only trying to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katrina-kaif/when-you-re-walking-at-the-airport-you-re-expected-to-smile-at-people/) [Katrina Kaif](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katrina-kaif/) > [As the future is never known with certainty, the evaluation of the prospective benefits requires the formation of expectations. 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