Colonies ought to be Emunctories or Sinkes of States; to drayne away the filth.
-- John White (chapter 1 paragraph 1)

Importance: This quote encapsulates British ideology toward the colonies. Emunctories are any organ on the body that excretes waste, effectively making the colonies a waste receptacle.

Surely there is no place in the World where the Inhabitants live with less Labour than in N[orth] Carolina. It approaches nearer to the Description of Lubberland than any other, by the great felicity of the Climate, the easiness of raising Provisions, and the Slothfulness of the People.
-- William Byrd II (chapter 2 paragraph 1)

Importance: This quote describes the colony of North Carolina in a way that reinforces Isenberg's argument that this slothful and swampy colony lie at the heart of the white trash story.

Can it be a Crime (in the Nature of Things I mean) to add to the Number of the King's Subjects, in a new Country that really wants People?
-- Benjamin Franklin (chapter 3 paragraph 1)

Importance: This quote was...