George Fitzhugh: Trending quotes (page 2)

“The great object of government is to restrict, control and punish man ‘in the pursuit of happiness.”

George Fitzhugh

Source: Sociology For The South: Or The Failure Of A Free Society (1854), p. 180

Happiness

“Money is the great weapon in a free, equal and competitive society, which skill and capital employ in the war of the wits, to exploitate and oppress the poor, the improvident, and the weak-minded. Its evil effects are greatly aggravated by the credit and banking systems.”

George Fitzhugh

Source: Cannibals All!, or Slaves Without Masters (1857), p. 303

Money , War , Evil

“A mere verbal formula often distinguishes a truism from a paradox. ‘It is the duty of society to protect the weak;’ but protection cannot be efficient without the power of control; therefore, ‘It is the duty of society to enslave the weak’.”

George Fitzhugh

Source: Cannibals All!, or Slaves Without Masters (1857), p. 278

“Socialism, with such despotic head, approaches very near to Southern slavery, and gets along very well so long as the depot lives.”

George Fitzhugh

Source: Cannibals All!, or Slaves Without Masters (1857), p. 334

“But slavery does, in practice as well as in theory, acknowledge and enforce the right of all to be comfortably supported from the soil. There was, we repeat, no pauperism in Europe till feudal slavery was abolished.”

George Fitzhugh

Source: Cannibals All!, or Slaves Without Masters (1857), pp. 307-308

Support

“Free trade or political economy is the science of free society, and socialism is the science of slavery.”

George Fitzhugh

Source: Sociology For The South: Or The Failure Of A Free Society (1854), p. 61

Science

“But the capitalist, living on his income, gives nothing to his subjects. He lives by mere exploitation.”

George Fitzhugh

Source: Cannibals All!, or Slaves Without Masters (1857), pp. 44-45

“There is no rivalry, no competition to get employment among slaves, as among free laborers. Nor is there a war between master and slave… His feeling for his slave never permits him to stint him in old age. The slaves are all well fed, well clad, have plenty of fuel, and are happy. They have no dread of the future—no fear of want. A state of dependence is the only condition in which reciprocal affection can exist among human beings—the only situation in which the war of competition ceases, and peace, amity and good will arise. A state of independence always begets more or less of jealous rivalry and hostility. A man loves his children because they are weak, helpless and dependent; he loves his wife for similar reasons.”

George Fitzhugh

Source: Sociology For The South: Or The Failure Of A Free Society (1854), pp. 246-247

Love , Hostility , War , Children

“Free laborers have not a thousandth part of the rights and liberties of negro slaves. Indeed, they have not a single right or a single liberty, unless it be the right or liberty to die.”

George Fitzhugh

Source: Cannibals All!, or Slaves Without Masters (1857), p. 31

Parting

“Property is not a natural and divine, but conventional right; it is the mere creature of society and law… if private property generally were so used to injure, instead of promote public good, then society might and ought to destroy the whole institution.”

George Fitzhugh

Source: Sociology For The South: Or The Failure Of A Free Society (1854), p. 185

Law , Nature

“Man is a social and gregarious animal, and all such animals hold property in each other. Nature imposes upon them slavery as a law and necessity of their existence… The husband has a legally recognized property in his wife’s services, and may legally control, in some measure, her personal liberty. She is his property and his slave.”

George Fitzhugh

Source: Cannibals All!, or Slaves Without Masters (1857), p. 341

Law , Nature , Animals , Personality

“Slavery is a form of communism… The manner to which the change shall be made from the present form of society to that system of communism which we propose is very simple.”

George Fitzhugh

Source: Cannibals All!, or Slaves Without Masters (1857), p. 324

Communication , Change

“We contend that it was the origin of the capitalist and moneyed interest government, destined finally to swallow up all other powers in the State, and to bring about the most selfish, exacting, and unfeeling class despotism.”

George Fitzhugh

Source: Cannibals All!, or Slaves Without Masters (1857), p. 157

Money , Selfishness

“The negro is improvident; will not lay up in summer for the wants of winter; will not accumulate in youth for the exigencies of age. He would become an insufferable burden to society. Society has the right to prevent this, and can only do so by subjecting him to domestic slavery.”

George Fitzhugh

Source: Sociology For The South: Or The Failure Of A Free Society (1854), p. 83

Youth , Age , Winter , Summer

“With thinking men, the question can never arise, who ought to be free? Because no one ought to be free. All government is slavery.”

George Fitzhugh

Source: Sociology For The South: Or The Failure Of A Free Society (1854), p. 170

Men , Question , Thinking

“A Southern farm is beau idea of Communism; it is a joint concern, in which the slaves consume more than the master, of the coarse products, and is far happier, because although the concern may fail; he is always sure of a support.”

George Fitzhugh

Source: Sociology For The South: Or The Failure Of A Free Society (1854), p. 245

Communication , Idea , Support

“The bestowing upon men equality of rights, is but giving license to the strong to oppress the weak. It begets the grossest inequalities of condition.”

George Fitzhugh

Source: Sociology For The South: Or The Failure Of A Free Society (1854), p. 233

Men , Strong

“Slavery relieves our slaves of these cares altogether, and slavery is a form, and the very best form, of socialism.”

George Fitzhugh

Source: Sociology For The South: Or The Failure Of A Free Society (1854), p. 27-28

“Private property destroys liberty and equality.”

George Fitzhugh

Source: Cannibals All!, or Slaves Without Masters (1857), p. 323

“Our slaves till the land, do the coarse and hard labor on our roads and canals, sweep our streets, cook our food, brush our boots, wait on our tables, hold our horses, do all hard work, and fill all menial offices. Your freemen at the North do the same work and fill the same offices. The only difference is, we love our slaves, and we are ready to defend, assist and protect them; you hate and fear your white servants, and never fail, as a moral duty, to screw down their wages to the lowest, and to starve their families, if possible, as evidence of your thrift, economy and management—the only English and Yankee virtues.”

George Fitzhugh

Source: Cannibals All!, or Slaves Without Masters (1857), p. 320-321

Love , Hate , Fear , Family