Colony Quote by Howard Zinn
“The inferior position of blacks, the exclusion of Indians from the new society, the establishment of supremacy for the rich and powerful in the new nation--all this was already settled in the colonies by the time of the Revolution. With the English out of the way, it could now be put on paper, solidified, regularized, made legitimate by the Constitution of the United States.”
About This Quote
Source Book: A People’s History of the United States, Howard Zinn, 1980
The Constitution codified existing racial and class hierarchies, turning informal oppression into legal authority.
In simple terms: Legalizing existing inequalities.
Key Takeaway
Recognize how laws can entrench oppression.
Themes
race
class
law
power
history
Mood
critical
reflective
Type
historical
political
analytical
When to use this quote
- policy analysis
- education reform
- activism
- community organizing
Key Concepts
social stratification
institutional racism
political economy
Questions to Reflect On
- How do current laws reflect historic power structures?
- What reforms can dismantle entrenched inequities?
A Different Perspective
Legal frameworks can also protect rights and enable reform.
![“That country [Carthage] was rapidly sinking into the state of barbarism from whence it had been raised by the Phoenician colonies and Roman laws; and every step of intestine discord was marked by some deplorable victory of savage man over civilized society.” quote by Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/70c/edward-gibbon-710_barbarism_that-country-carthage-was-rapidly-sinkin_393.jpg)
