--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My own convictions as to negro slavery…" description: "\"My own convictions as to negro slavery are strong. It has its evils and abuses...We recognize the negro as God and God's Book and God's Laws, in nature..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a90/jefferson-davis-9399_abuse_my-own-convictions-as-to-negro-slavery-a_807476.jpg" --- # My own convictions as to negro slavery are strong. It has… ![“My own convictions as to negro slavery are strong. It has its evils and abuses...We recognize the negro as God and God's Book and God's Laws, in nature, tell us to recognize him - our inferior, fitted expressly for servitude...You cannot transform the negro into anything one-tenth as useful or as…” quote by Jefferson Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a90/jefferson-davis-9399_abuse_my-own-convictions-as-to-negro-slavery-a_807476.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a90/jefferson-davis-9399_abuse_my-own-convictions-as-to-negro-slavery-a_807476.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a90/jefferson-davis-9399_abuse_my-own-convictions-as-to-negro-slavery-a_807476.jpg) > “My own convictions as to negro slavery are strong. It has its evils and abuses...We recognize the negro as God and God's Book and God's Laws, in nature, tell us to recognize him - our inferior, fitted expressly for servitude...You cannot transform the negro into anything one-tenth as useful or as good as what slavery enables them to be.” [Jefferson Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jefferson-davis/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He argues that slavery is a natural, divinely‑ordered hierarchy, justifying oppression. **In simple terms:** Slavery is portrayed as a divine hierarchy. Key Takeaway Reject false moral claims that dehumanize others. Themes racism justification hierarchy Mood critical historical Type political controversial When to use this quote - education reform - civil rights advocacy - community dialogues Key Concepts theology social Darwinism Questions to Reflect On - How do religious texts get misused to defend injustice? - What ethical frameworks counter this hierarchy? A Different Perspective Such rationalizations ignore universal human rights and equality. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Abuse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abuse/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Conviction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conviction/) [Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil/) [Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law/) [Servitude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/servitude/) [Slavery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slavery/) ## Related quotes > [“Here, then, is the origin of Negro slavery. The reason was economic, not racial; it had to do not with the color of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-williams/here-then-is-the-origin-of-negro-slavery-the-reason-was-economic-not/) [Eric Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-williams/) > [“Negro Slavery is an evil of Colossal magnitude and I am utterly averse to the admission of Slavery into the Missouri Territories.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-adams/negro-slavery-is-an-evil-of-colossal-magnitude-and-i-am-utterly/) [John Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-adams/) > [There is great fear expressed on all sides lest this war shall be made a war for the negro. I am willing that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-b-anthony/there-is-great-fear-expressed-on-all-sides-lest-this-war-shall-be/) [Susan B. Anthony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-b-anthony/) > [Negro Slavery is an evil of Colossal magnitude. I am therefore utterly averse to the admission of Slavery into the Missouri Territory, and heartily…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-adams/negro-slavery-is-an-evil-of-colossal-magnitude-i-am-therefore-utterly/) [John Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-adams/) > [“Negro slavery, thus, had nothing to do with climate. Its origin can be expressed in three words: in the Caribbean, Sugar; on the mainland,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-williams/negro-slavery-thus-had-nothing-to-do-with-climate-its-origin-can-be/) [Eric Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-williams/) > [Negro slavery is an evil of colossal magnitude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-adams/negro-slavery-is-an-evil-of-colossal-magnitude/) [John Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-adams/) > [“Enslavement to God signifies liberation from all other forms of servitude, and although modern man may think that he is liberated, he is in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-w-flood/enslavement-to-god-signifies-liberation-from-all-other-forms-of/) Donald W. Flood > [God give you pardon from gratitude and other mild forms of servitude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-creeley/god-give-you-pardon-from-gratitude-and-other-mild-forms-of-servitude/) [Robert Creeley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-creeley/) > [“Your realm is an insane place. In Volaria, no-one goes hungry, slaves are no use when they starve. Those freeborn too lazy or lacking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-ryan/your-realm-is-an-insane-place-in-volaria-no-one-goes-hungry-slaves/) [Anthony Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-ryan/) > [There will be in the next generation or so a pharmacological method of making people love their servitude and producing dictatorship without tears, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/there-will-be-in-the-next-generation-or-so-a-pharmacological-method/) [Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/) > [As political and economic freedom diminishes, sexual freedom tends correspondingly to increase. And the dictator will do well to encourage that freedom...it will help…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/as-political-and-economic-freedom-diminishes-sexual-freedom-tends/) [Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/) > [ The heart becomes sick, as the body becomes sick, and its remedy is al-Tawbah (repentance) and protection \[from transgression\]. It becomes rusty as a… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ibn-qayyim-al-jawziyya/the-heart-becomes-sick-as-the-body-becomes-sick-and-its-remedy-is-al/) [Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ibn-qayyim-al-jawziyya/) > [Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains sit lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that ye were our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-adams/crouch-down-and-lick-the-hands-which-feed-you-may-your-chains-sit/) [Samuel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-adams/) > [This is servitude, To serve th'unwise, or him who hath rebelled Against his worthier, as thine now serve thee, Thyself not free, but to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-milton/this-is-servitude-to-serve-th-unwise-or-him-who-hath-rebelled-against/) [John Milton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-milton/) > [My days – the blossom of my youth and the flower of my manhood – have been darkened by the dreariness of servitude. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-o-connell/my-days-the-blossom-of-my-youth-and-the-flower-of-my-manhood-have/) [Daniel O'Connell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-o-connell/) ## More by Jefferson Davis > [Butler is branded a felon, an outlaw, an enemy of Mankind, and so ordered that in the event of his capture, the officer in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jefferson-davis/butler-is-branded-a-felon-an-outlaw-an-enemy-of-mankind-and-so/) [Jefferson Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jefferson-davis/) > [Whether by the House or by the People, if an Abolitionist be chosen President of the United States, you will have presented to you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jefferson-davis/whether-by-the-house-or-by-the-people-if-an-abolitionist-be-chosen/) [Jefferson Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jefferson-davis/) > [Without doing injustice to the living, it may safely be asserted that our loss is irreparable; and that among the shining hosts of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jefferson-davis/without-doing-injustice-to-the-living-it-may-safely-be-asserted-that/) [Jefferson Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jefferson-davis/) > [The Slave must be made fit for his freedom by education and discipline, and thus made unfit for slavery. And as soon as he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jefferson-davis/the-slave-must-be-made-fit-for-his-freedom-by-education-and/) [Jefferson Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jefferson-davis/) > [This war must go on till the last of this generation falls in his tracks, and his children seize his musket and fight our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jefferson-davis/this-war-must-go-on-till-the-last-of-this-generation-falls-in-his/) [Jefferson Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jefferson-davis/) > [I will admit no bond that holds me to a party a day longer than I agree to its principles. When men meet together…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jefferson-davis/i-will-admit-no-bond-that-holds-me-to-a-party-a-day-longer-than-i/) [Jefferson Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jefferson-davis/) > [How idle is this prating about natural rights as though still containing all that had been forfeited.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jefferson-davis/how-idle-is-this-prating-about-natural-rights-as-though-still/) [Jefferson Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jefferson-davis/) > [To increase the power, develop the resources and promote the happiness of a Confederacy, it is requisite there should be so much of homogeneity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jefferson-davis/to-increase-the-power-develop-the-resources-and-promote-the-happiness/) [Jefferson Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jefferson-davis/) > [Our armies were in as much chaos in victory as theirs in defeat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jefferson-davis/our-armies-were-in-as-much-chaos-in-victory-as-theirs-in-defeat/) [Jefferson Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jefferson-davis/) > [The authors of all our misfortune.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jefferson-davis/the-authors-of-all-our-misfortune/) [Jefferson Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jefferson-davis/) > [God forbid that the day should ever come when to be true to my constituents is to be hostile to the Union.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jefferson-davis/god-forbid-that-the-day-should-ever-come-when-to-be-true-to-my/) [Jefferson Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jefferson-davis/) > [For an enemy so relentless in the war for our subjugation, we could not be expected to mourn; yet, in view of its political…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jefferson-davis/for-an-enemy-so-relentless-in-the-war-for-our-subjugation-we-could/) [Jefferson Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jefferson-davis/) > [Governments rest on the consent of the governed, and that it is the right of the people to alter or abolish them at will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jefferson-davis/governments-rest-on-the-consent-of-the-governed-and-that-it-is-the/) [Jefferson Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jefferson-davis/) > [Neither current events nor history show that the majority rule, or ever did rule.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jefferson-davis/neither-current-events-nor-history-show-that-the-majority-rule-or/) [Jefferson Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jefferson-davis/) > [Truth crushed to earth is truth still and like a seed will rise again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jefferson-davis/truth-crushed-to-earth-is-truth-still-and-like-a-seed-will-rise-again/) [Jefferson Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jefferson-davis/) [Explore all 71 Jefferson Davis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jefferson-davis/) ## More Abuse quotes > [I wrote when I was a young teen, but I didn't put an eye on the available markets until I was seventeen. The next…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reed/i-wrote-when-i-was-a-young-teen-but-i-didn-t-put-an-eye-on-the/) [Robert Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reed/) > [Amongst the financial Twitterati, the term 'muppets' has come to describe any client used and abused by some financial predator. I've adopted the term…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-ritholtz/amongst-the-financial-twitterati-the-term-muppets-has-come-to/) [Barry Ritholtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-ritholtz/) > [Being nice is okay,but don't allow anybody to abuse it...try to fight for your self when you know your on the right way...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-nice-is-okay-but-don-t-allow-anybody-to-abuse-it-try-to-fight/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Build a bridge over shame by teaching kids about sexual abuse. Give them a chance to run to us should they encounter it. Be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-byers-ruch/build-a-bridge-over-shame-by-teaching-kids-about-sexual-abuse-give/) [Carolyn Byers Ruch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-byers-ruch/) > [It is sure that those are most desirous of honour or glory who cry out loudest of its abuse and the vanity of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baruch-spinoza/it-is-sure-that-those-are-most-desirous-of-honour-or-glory-who-cry/) [Baruch Spinoza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baruch-spinoza/) > [“The sole reason I stand to open it up now is that lots of people who are in pain just like I was, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-dsouza/the-sole-reason-i-stand-to-open-it-up-now-is-that-lots-of-people-who/) [Patricia Dsouza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-dsouza/) > [Democracy must be built through open societies that share information. When there is information, there is enlightenment. When there is debate, there are solutions.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atifete-jahjaga/democracy-must-be-built-through-open-societies-that-share-information/) [Atifete Jahjaga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atifete-jahjaga/) > [I have a theory that all abuse, no matter what kind of abuse it is, is foremost an assault on the mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tara-westover/i-have-a-theory-that-all-abuse-no-matter-what-kind-of-abuse-it-is-is/) [Tara Westover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tara-westover/) > [“Blaming therapy, social work and other caring professions for the confabulation of testimony of 'satanic ritual abuse' legitimated a programme of political and social…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-salter/blaming-therapy-social-work-and-other-caring-professions-for-the/) [Michael Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-salter/) > [Finally, the scariest thing about abuse of any shape or form, is, in my opinion, not the abuse itself, but that if it continues…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-cumming/finally-the-scariest-thing-about-abuse-of-any-shape-or-form-is-in-my/) [Alan Cumming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-cumming/) > [“Research on organised abuse emphasises the diversity of organised abuse cases, and the ways in which serious forms of child maltreatment cluster in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-salter/research-on-organised-abuse-emphasises-the-diversity-of-organised/) [Michael Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-salter/) > [“Stand up for yourself. Never give any one permission to abuse you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/stand-up-for-yourself-never-give-any-one-permission-to-abuse-you/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [All governments should be pressured to correct their abuses of human rights.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-stallman/all-governments-should-be-pressured-to-correct-their-abuses-of-human/) [Richard Stallman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-stallman/) > [“Words are free. It does not mean you should abuse them. Be kind with them. They will mirror your actions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hadinet-tekie/words-are-free-it-does-not-mean-you-should-abuse-them-be-kind-with/) [Hadinet Tekie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hadinet-tekie/) > [My illness is one often characterized by dramatic overspending - in my case through frenzied shopping sprees, credit card abuse, excessive hoarding of unnecessary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-behrman/my-illness-is-one-often-characterized-by-dramatic-overspending-in-my/) [Andy Behrman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-behrman/) [Browse all 3,113 Abuse quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abuse/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "My own convictions as to negro slavery are strong. It has its evils and abuses...We recognize the negro as God and God's Book and God's Laws, in nature, tell us to recognize him - our inferior, fitted expressly for servitude...You cannot transform the negro into anything one-tenth as useful or as good as what slavery enables them to be.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jefferson Davis" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jefferson-davis/my-own-convictions-as-to-negro-slavery-are-strong-it-has-its-evils/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Abuse" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jefferson-davis/my-own-convictions-as-to-negro-slavery-are-strong-it-has-its-evils/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a90/jefferson-davis-9399_abuse_my-own-convictions-as-to-negro-slavery-a_807476.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a90/jefferson-davis-9399_abuse_my-own-convictions-as-to-negro-slavery-a_807476.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a90/jefferson-davis-9399_abuse_my-own-convictions-as-to-negro-slavery-a_807476.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“My own convictions as to negro slavery are strong. It has its evils and abuses...We recognize the negro as…” — Jefferson Davis", "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": "Jefferson Davis", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jefferson-davis/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "My own convictions as to negro...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jefferson-davis/my-own-convictions-as-to-negro-slavery-are-strong-it-has-its-evils/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jefferson-davis/my-own-convictions-as-to-negro-slavery-are-strong-it-has-its-evils/#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 } } ] } ```