--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A hundred years ago the American white…" description: "\"A hundred years ago the American white men used to put on a white sheet and use a bloodhound against Negroes. Today they have taken off the white sheet..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/008/malcolm-x-213_bloodhounds_a-hundred-years-ago-the-american-white-m_3137042.jpg" --- # A hundred years ago the American white men used to put on… ![“A hundred years ago the American white men used to put on a white sheet and use a bloodhound against Negroes. Today they have taken off the white sheet and put on police uniforms and traded in the bloodhounds for police dogs, and they're still doing the same thing.” quote by Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/008/malcolm-x-213_bloodhounds_a-hundred-years-ago-the-american-white-m_3137042.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/008/malcolm-x-213_bloodhounds_a-hundred-years-ago-the-american-white-m_3137042.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/008/malcolm-x-213_bloodhounds_a-hundred-years-ago-the-american-white-m_3137042.jpg) > “A hundred years ago the American white men used to put on a white sheet and use a bloodhound against Negroes. Today they have taken off the white sheet and put on police uniforms and traded in the bloodhounds for police dogs, and they're still doing the same thing.” [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He draws a parallel between historic lynching tactics and modern policing, suggesting continuity in racial oppression. **In simple terms:** Police now use dogs instead of bloodhounds, but oppression persists. Key Takeaway Recognize systemic racism in law enforcement. Themes racism law enforcement history Mood angry reflective Type political historical When to use this quote - civil rights activism - policy reform - community policing - education on history Key Concepts systemic oppression racial injustice continuity Questions to Reflect On - How does this analogy affect your view of policing? - What reforms could break this continuity? A Different Perspective He does not address individual police officers' intentions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bloodhounds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bloodhounds/) [Dog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dog/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Police](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/police/) [Racism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racism/) [Today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/today/) [White man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/white-man/) ## Related quotes > [Just as Uncle Tom, back during slavery used to keep the Negroes from resisting the bloodhound or resisting the Ku Klux Klan by teaching…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/just-as-uncle-tom-back-during-slavery-used-to-keep-the-negroes-from/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [In the Muslim world, I had seen that men with white complexions were more genuinely brotherly than anyone else had ever been. That... was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/in-the-muslim-world-i-had-seen-that-men-with-white-complexions-were/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [ \[White men\] has the audacity to call himself even the "Leader of the Free World" while he has a country that can't even give… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/white-men-has-the-audacity-to-call-himself-even-the-leader-of-the/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [So swift, silent and furtive were his movements like those of a trained bloodhound picking out a scent, that I could not but think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/so-swift-silent-and-furtive-were-his-movements-like-those-of-a-2/) [Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/) > [“Another anecdote characteristic of these times has been told. The South, prior to the rebellion, kept bloodhounds to pursue runaway slaves who took refuge…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulysses-s-grant/another-anecdote-characteristic-of-these-times-has-been-told-the/) [Ulysses S. Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ulysses-s-grant/) > [Westley and I are joined by the bond of love and you cannot track that, not with a thousand bloodhounds, and you cannot break…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-goldman/westley-and-i-are-joined-by-the-bond-of-love-and-you-cannot-track/) [William Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-goldman/) > [Wall Street owns the country. It is no longer a government of the people, for the people and by the people, but a government…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-elizabeth-lease/wall-street-owns-the-country-it-is-no-longer-a-government-of-the/) [Mary Elizabeth Lease](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-elizabeth-lease/) > [“The call of the yellow-billed cuckoo of North America is often mistaken for a bloodhound drinking a bowl of milk. He goes coulp coulp…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-cuppy/the-call-of-the-yellow-billed-cuckoo-of-north-america-is-often/) [Will Cuppy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-cuppy/) > [One thought alone preoccupies the submerged mind of Empire: how not to end, how not to die, how to prolong its era. By day…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/one-thought-alone-preoccupies-the-submerged-mind-of-empire-how-not-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [All you've got is the word of a fool dog. It's been my experience that a bloodhound is the foolishest dog that is. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-stallings/all-you-ve-got-is-the-word-of-a-fool-dog-it-s-been-my-experience-that/) [Laurence Stallings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-stallings/) > [I say you are a coward and you are; I think you hunt only to reassure yourself that you are not what you are:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-goldman/i-say-you-are-a-coward-and-you-are-i-think-you-hunt-only-to-reassure/) [William Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-goldman/) > [“The dogs looked sad as they were nudged from the back of the car. They were big, red brutes with kind eyes. Their ears…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-h-street/the-dogs-looked-sad-as-they-were-nudged-from-the-back-of-the-car-they/) James H. Street > [Erudition, like a bloodhound, is a charming thing when held firmly in leash, but it is not so attractive when turned loose upon a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-repplier/erudition-like-a-bloodhound-is-a-charming-thing-when-held-firmly-in/) [Agnes Repplier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-repplier/) > [Borrow my umbrellas, my clothes, my money, and I will likely not think of them again. But borrow my books and I will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-mcginley/borrow-my-umbrellas-my-clothes-my-money-and-i-will-likely-not-think/) [Phyllis McGinley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-mcginley/) > [How did you find me anyway." "For all that I must keep reminding you that I am not a bloodhound, it's true that on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/how-did-you-find-me-anyway-for-all-that-i-must-keep-reminding-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Malcolm X > [If Christianity had asserted itself in Germany, six million Jews would have lived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/if-christianity-had-asserted-itself-in-germany-six-million-jews-would/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [Adam Clayton Powell's entire political career has to be looked at in the entire context of the American history and the history of, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/adam-clayton-powell-s-entire-political-career-has-to-be-looked-at-in/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [American civil rights leader, Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community? Lynching is a murder. For the past four hundred years our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/american-civil-rights-leader-where-do-we-go-from-here-chaos-or/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [Be nonviolent only with those who are nonviolent to you. And when you can bring me a nonviolent racist, bring me a nonviolent segregationist,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/be-nonviolent-only-with-those-who-are-nonviolent-to-you-and-when-you/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [You can't legislate good will - that comes through education.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/you-can-t-legislate-good-will-that-comes-through-education/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [Truth is on the side of the oppressed today, it's against the oppressor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/truth-is-on-the-side-of-the-oppressed-today-it-s-against-the-oppressor/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [Those type of whites who are always going to jail with Negroes are the ones who tell Negroes to be loving and be kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/those-type-of-whites-who-are-always-going-to-jail-with-negroes-are/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [We Muslims believe that the white race, which is guilty of having oppressed and exploited and enslaved our people here in America, should and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/we-muslims-believe-that-the-white-race-which-is-guilty-of-having/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [I mean a real police state just to get a token recognition of a law. It take, it took, I think, 15,000 troops and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/i-mean-a-real-police-state-just-to-get-a-token-recognition-of-a-law/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [Like Samson, I am ready to pull down the white man's temple, knowing full well that I will be destroyed by the falling rubble.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/like-samson-i-am-ready-to-pull-down-the-white-man-s-temple-knowing/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [Any negro who occupies a position that was given to him by the white man, if you analyze his function, his function never enables…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/any-negro-who-occupies-a-position-that-was-given-to-him-by-the-white/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [Stumbling is not falling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/stumbling-is-not-falling/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [God is going to punish the white man for his misdeeds toward black people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/god-is-going-to-punish-the-white-man-for-his-misdeeds-toward-black/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [Much of what I say might sound like it's stirring up trouble, but it's the truth!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/much-of-what-i-say-might-sound-like-it-s-stirring-up-trouble-but-it-s/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [I believe in the brotherhood of all men, but I don't believe in wasting brotherhood on anyone who doesn't want to practice it with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/i-believe-in-the-brotherhood-of-all-men-but-i-don-t-believe-in/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) [Explore all 891 Malcolm X quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) ## More Bloodhounds quotes > [How did you find me anyway." "For all that I must keep reminding you that I am not a bloodhound, it's true that on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/how-did-you-find-me-anyway-for-all-that-i-must-keep-reminding-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Borrow my umbrellas, my clothes, my money, and I will likely not think of them again. But borrow my books and I will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-mcginley/borrow-my-umbrellas-my-clothes-my-money-and-i-will-likely-not-think/) [Phyllis McGinley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-mcginley/) > [Erudition, like a bloodhound, is a charming thing when held firmly in leash, but it is not so attractive when turned loose upon a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-repplier/erudition-like-a-bloodhound-is-a-charming-thing-when-held-firmly-in/) [Agnes Repplier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-repplier/) > [“The dogs looked sad as they were nudged from the back of the car. They were big, red brutes with kind eyes. Their ears…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-h-street/the-dogs-looked-sad-as-they-were-nudged-from-the-back-of-the-car-they/) James H. Street > [I say you are a coward and you are; I think you hunt only to reassure yourself that you are not what you are:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-goldman/i-say-you-are-a-coward-and-you-are-i-think-you-hunt-only-to-reassure/) [William Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-goldman/) > [All you've got is the word of a fool dog. It's been my experience that a bloodhound is the foolishest dog that is. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-stallings/all-you-ve-got-is-the-word-of-a-fool-dog-it-s-been-my-experience-that/) [Laurence Stallings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-stallings/) > [One thought alone preoccupies the submerged mind of Empire: how not to end, how not to die, how to prolong its era. By day…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/one-thought-alone-preoccupies-the-submerged-mind-of-empire-how-not-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The call of the yellow-billed cuckoo of North America is often mistaken for a bloodhound drinking a bowl of milk. He goes coulp coulp…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-cuppy/the-call-of-the-yellow-billed-cuckoo-of-north-america-is-often/) [Will Cuppy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-cuppy/) > [Wall Street owns the country. It is no longer a government of the people, for the people and by the people, but a government…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-elizabeth-lease/wall-street-owns-the-country-it-is-no-longer-a-government-of-the/) [Mary Elizabeth Lease](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-elizabeth-lease/) > [Westley and I are joined by the bond of love and you cannot track that, not with a thousand bloodhounds, and you cannot break…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-goldman/westley-and-i-are-joined-by-the-bond-of-love-and-you-cannot-track/) [William Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-goldman/) > [“Another anecdote characteristic of these times has been told. The South, prior to the rebellion, kept bloodhounds to pursue runaway slaves who took refuge…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulysses-s-grant/another-anecdote-characteristic-of-these-times-has-been-told-the/) [Ulysses S. Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ulysses-s-grant/) > [So swift, silent and furtive were his movements like those of a trained bloodhound picking out a scent, that I could not but think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/so-swift-silent-and-furtive-were-his-movements-like-those-of-a-2/) [Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/) > [But thus I counsel you, my friends: Mistrust all in whom the impulse to punish is powerful. They are people of a low sort…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/but-thus-i-counsel-you-my-friends-mistrust-all-in-whom-the-impulse-to/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [Just as Uncle Tom, back during slavery used to keep the Negroes from resisting the bloodhound or resisting the Ku Klux Klan by teaching…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/just-as-uncle-tom-back-during-slavery-used-to-keep-the-negroes-from/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [Every man that tried to destroy the Government, every man that shot at the holy flag in heaven, every man that starved our soldiers...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-green-ingersoll/every-man-that-tried-to-destroy-the-government-every-man-that-shot-at/) [Robert Green Ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-green-ingersoll/) [Browse all 17 Bloodhounds quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bloodhounds/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A hundred years ago the American white men used to put on a white sheet and use a bloodhound against Negroes. 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