Florida Rep. Allen West contends that if we now live in a 21st-century plantation, the Democrats hold the whip.

In reaction to a heated meeting hosted by the Congressional Black Caucus in Detroit this week, in which lawmakers said they were "tired" of waiting for President Obama to spring into action, West made some equally colorful claims to FOX News, the news outlet reports.

West, who recently said he is considering a Senate bid, told the network that the Democrats "social welfare policies" have failed Blacks for too long, and now is the time to seek freedom.

Reports FOX News:

"You have this 21st-century plantation that has been out there. Where the Democrat Party has forever taken the Black vote for granted and you have established certain Back leaders who are nothing more than the overseers of that plantation. And now the people on that plantation are upset because they've been disregarded, disrespected and their concerns are not cared about," West said.

“So I'm here as the modern-day Harriet Tubman to kind of lead people on the underground railroad away from that plantation into a sense of sensibility."

Florida Democrats blasted West's comments and demanded an apology.

The meeting on Tuesday remained tense as members of the Congressional Black Caucus expressed their frustration with the Obama administration, saying that a lack of attention on the Black community is contributing to disturbing unemployment rates.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate for African-Americans was 15.9 percent in July, although that number is slightly less than reported in previous months.