Henry Hugh Proctor Quotes


It is said that this is a white man's war, and, therefore, let the white fight it out. I reject the conclusion because I cannot accept the premise. This is not a white man's war; it is the nation's war. It was declared by the representatives, not of the white people, but of all the people. It is a national and not a racial war. If you say this is a white man's war, then you are bound to accept the doctrine that this is a white man's country. If it is a white man's country then the black man has no place in it, and consequently no rights that a white man is bound to respect. This is God's country, and it belongs to the people in it, be they black or white, red or yellow.


Citations

Henry Hugh Proctor, 1868-1933, Protestant Minister & Black Civil Rights Leader, Reference to The Spanish American War, Sermon: “The duty of colored citizens to their country,” delivered before the Colored Military Companies of Atlanta, First Congregational Church, Atlanta, GA, May 1, 1898

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Henry Hugh Proctor
Henry Hugh Proctor
  • Born: December 8, 1868
  • Nationality:
  • Profession:

Henry Hugh Proctor was a minister of the First Congregational Church in Atlanta, the second-oldest African American Congregational church in the United States. He was also a noted author and lecturer.