In the provided quote by Hannah Johnson, “they” refers to the Southern slavers. Johnson is criticizing those who have profited from slavery and have lived off the labor of enslaved people, asserting that they have lived in idleness due to their reliance on stolen labor. She contrasts this with the progress and education that formerly enslaved individuals are achieving, indicating that they are proving their worth and capabilities.
Who are “they” who “have lived in idleness”?
Northern soldiers
Southern slavers
Southern enslaved people
“Now Mr Lincoln don't you think you ought to stop this thing and make them do the same by the colored men. They have lived in idleness all their lives on stolen labor, but are so furious because [colored people] are proving themselves to be men, such as have come away and got some education. It must not be so.”
–Hannah Johnson
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