1930s Quote by Noam Chomsky
“The Fourteenth Amendment, after the civil war, in principle brought former slaves into the category of persons, theoretically. But if you actually look, almost all the cases brought up for personal rights under the Fourteenth Amendment were by corporations. Freed slaves couldn't do it. In fact they were pretty much driven back into something like slavery by a north - south compact, that allowed former slave states to criminalize black life, which made a criminal force that was basically used as a forced labor force, up until the 1930s.”
About This Quote
Source Speech: Lecture on constitutional law, 1990s
The Fourteenth Amendment was intended to protect individuals, but its legal battles are dominated by corporate interests, marginalizing the original freed slaves.
In simple terms: Corporations dominate civil rights litigation.
Key Takeaway
Advocate for individual rights.
Themes
law
civil rights
inequality
Mood
critical
analytical
Type
political
historical
When to use this quote
- civil rights activism
- policy reform
- legal aid
Key Concepts
Corporate power
legal system
Questions to Reflect On
- How can individuals reclaim legal agency?
- What reforms could balance corporate influence?
A Different Perspective
Corporate resources skew justice.
![“I wrote an article about the marine landing [in Haiti] right away, but barely mentioned the oil, because my article would come out two months later and I assumed by then, "of course, everybody knows." Nobody knew. There was a news report in the Wall Street Journal, in the petroleum journals, and…” quote by Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/dc5/noam-chomsky-42_articles_i-wrote-an-article-about-the-marine-land_13341.jpg)
