“Democracy” is a poem by the American writer Langston Hughes. First published in 1949, the poem explores the Black American experience at a time of extreme segregation, inequality, and state-sponsored racism. The speaker argues that the United States cannot truly be a democracy until everyone has equal rights, and that equality and freedom are as necessary as food when it comes to survival. The speaker further suggests that democracy will only come about through a powerful social movement for change. Hughes included “Democracy” in his collection One-Way Ticket, which was illustrated by the American painter Jacob Lawrence.
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Democracy will not ...
... compromise and fear.
I have as ...
... own the land.
I tire so ...
... is another day.
I do not ...
... on tomorrow's bread.
Freedom ...
... a great need.
I live here, ...
... Just as you.
Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.
Biography of Langston Hughes — Learn more about Langston Hughes’s life and poetry in this biographical article from the Poetry Foundation.
Senators and Congresswomen Read the Poem — Hear U.S. Senators and Congresswomen—including Congresswoman Barbara Lee, Senator Tammy Duckworth, and Vice President Kamala Harris, among others—read “Democracy” aloud in this 2018 video made by Moveon.org.
Jacob Lawrence’s Illustrations — Hughes solicited the Harlem painter Jacob Lawrence to illustrate One-Way Ticket, the collection in which he included “Democracy.” View one of Lawrence’s illustrations for the collection at the Museum of Modern Art's website.
World War II and the Civil Rights Movement — Read more about how World War II brought into sharp relief the difference between American ideals abroad and the reality of American inequality at home—and how this fueled the Civil Rights Movement.
Article about the Harlem Renaissance — Learn more about the Harlem Renaissance, the movement of Black art and literature that Langston Hughes greatly influenced.