It is ridiculous to seek to excuse Robert Lee as the most formidable agency this nation ever raised to make 4 million human beings goods instead of men. Either he knew what slavery meant when he helped maim and murder thousands in its defense, or he did not. If he did not he was a fool. If he did, Robert Lee was a traitor and a rebel–not indeed to his country, but to humanity and humanity’s God.

— W. E. B. Du Bois Essay on Robert E. Lee (1928)

More quotes by W. E. B. Du Bois

John Brown: A Biography (1909)

The Wisdom of W.E.B. Du Bois (2003)

The Wisdom of W.E.B. Du Bois (2003)

Niagara Movement Speech (1905)

Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: W. E. B. Du Bois (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.