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280 pages, Paperback
First published July 14, 2015
鈥淣ow think about this. What would happen if all the Negroes in the South were suddenly given full civil rights? I鈥檒l tell you. There鈥檇 be another Reconstruction. Would you want your state governments run by people who don鈥檛 know how to run 鈥檈m? Do you want this town run by鈥攏ow wait a minute鈥擶illoughby鈥檚 a crook, we know that, but do you know of any Negro who knows as much as Willoughby? Zeebo鈥檇 probably be Mayor of Maycomb. Would you want someone of Zeebo鈥檚 capability to handle the town鈥檚 money? We鈥檙e outnumbered, you know.I understand that there are a lot of controversy and conspiracy theories regarding the publication of this book, and for good reason.
鈥淗oney, you do not seem to understand that the Negroes down here are still in their childhood as a people. You should know it, you鈥檝e seen it all your life. They鈥檝e made terrific progress in adapting themselves to white ways, but they鈥檙e far from it yet. They were coming along fine, traveling at a rate they could absorb, more of 鈥檈m voting than ever before. Then the NAACP stepped in with its fantastic demands and shoddy ideas of government鈥攃an you blame the South for resenting being told what to do about its own people by people who have no idea of its daily problems?
She heard her father鈥檚 voice, a tiny voice talking in the warm comfortable past. Gentlemen, if there鈥檚 one slogan in this world I believe, it is this: equal rights for all, special privileges for none.
The one human being she had ever fully and wholeheartedly trusted had failed her; the only man she had ever known to whom she could point and say with expert knowledge, 鈥淗e is a gentleman, in his heart he is a gentleman,鈥� had betrayed her, publicly, grossly, and shamelessly.
鈥ou realize that our Negro population is backward, don鈥檛 you? You will concede that? You realize the full implications of the word 鈥榖ackward鈥� don鈥檛 you?So what are we to make of this?
鈥f the scales were tipped over, what would you have? The county won鈥檛 keep a full board of registrars, because if the Negro vote edged out the white you鈥檇 have Negroes in every county office鈥�
鈥鈥檇 like my state to be left alone to keep house without advice from the NAACP, which knows next to nothing about its business and cares less.
鈥o you want Negroes by the carload in our schools and churches and theaters? Do you want them in our world?
鈥淓very man鈥檚 island, Jean Louise, every man鈥檚 watchman, is his conscience. There is no such thing as a collective conscious.鈥�