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SLAVERY and the AFRICAN
In my opinion as a black descendant of slaves, SLAVERY might have been the best thing that happened to the western American black people and probably inadvertently contributed to the advancement in the eugenics of the human race.
Slavery was social evolutionary scaffolding that in place, helped to shift man’s savage mentality from slaughtering all his enemies, to preserving their lives, albeit for use as labor. These human beasts of burden built the temples, palaces, monuments, and the economy and wealth of many nations and empires. Time, the catalyst of evolution, allows that these same slaves will at some point be assimilated into the conquering population and inject that racial diversity that is necessary for a healthy species. Out breeding and diversity will always add strength to either race: inbreeding and supposed racial purity leads to a weaker species.
Primitive man never hesitated to enslave his fellows. Slavery was a great advancement over massacre and cannibalism, (captives had hither for been eaten, tortured to death, set to fighting each other or sacrificed to the spirits). Enslavement was a forward step in the merciful treatment of war captives.
Slavery was an indispensable link in the chain of human civilization. It was a bridge over which society passed from chaos and indolence to order and civilized activities. It compelled backward and lazy peoples to work and thus produce wealth and leisure for the social advancement of their superiors.
Slavery was oppressive but it was in the schools of oppression that man learned industry. Eventually the slaves shared the blessings of a higher society which they had so unwillingly helped create.
Modern mechanical invention rendered the slave obsolete. Slavery, like polygamy is passing because it does not pay.
Today men are not social slaves, but millions allow ambition and blind materialism to enslave them to debt. Involuntary slavery has given way to a new and improved form of industrial servitude.
Slavery has existed as a human institution immemorial, but the slaves were usually captives taken in war or members of the lowest class in society. The institutions of slavery and private ownership of land came with agriculture. Slavery raised the master’s standard of living and provided more leisure for social culture.
Slavery in North America was first practiced by some aboriginal nations, who routinely captured slaves from neighboring tribes as part of their accepted laws of war. Chattel slavery started with the Europeans.
The black African slave trade, by contrast was a major economic enterprise. The slave trade encouraged African tribes to war with each other for the purpose of taking captives to be traded for goods. Africans cooperated with the Europeans in the slave trade because their idea of slavery was not confused with the notion of superiority and inferiority; it had always involved the possibility of slaves having the potential of procuring freedom and status thru hard work, and loyalty.
Americans who truly believe that slavery was such an evil enterprise should realize that the benefits that they enjoy today are the fruits of a poisoned tree, the fruits of the oppression of innocent people in the past.
People from Africa were abducted, kidnapped from their far away land, from their homes, from their families, forced to work for nothing.As these people were perceived like animals, property and chattel; their masters found it easier to rationalize the mistreatment of their property and not having to share the proceeds of their industry.A society blinded by fear; fear built on misinformation, ignorance, superstition, fear of emasculation and penis envy, would become America’s legacy.
The land we call North America was empty and barren of any economic structure. The amer-Indian nations were displaced and plundered and were enslaved by the Europeans but on discovering the higher immunity of Africans to diseases, sought to make the African slave his prime choice.
The land was stolen from the native aboriginals and the slaves fromAfrica, underthe threat of harm, were forced to till the soil, farm and harvest the crops. Since these crops that provide sustenance, are the basic material survival for everyone, then it must be said that these so called lazy peoples, despite the cruelty, the torture, the punishment and the separation from their families, performed well and contributed immensely to this civilization.
People make a civilization; civilization does not make the citizen.
The economic strength and the future of the cotton, tobacco and sugar cane exports gaveAmerica the confidence to engage the idea of independence from their British Overlords.
In the years leading up to the American Revolution,the export of cotton provided the American colonies annualrevenue of 1.5billion 18th.Century dollars; in comparison, with the annual federal tax revenue, of about 1 million dollars.
Out of such an evil enterprise would eventually evolve some GOOD. Since the slave traders would only steal the biggest and strongest native, only those strong enough to survive the brutal journey caged in the holes of barely seaworthy vessels were chosen. The survivors had to be the strongest of physical mankind at the time.
Animals are trained by their masters and are praised for their accomplishments: slaves forbidden to read under threat of death. Although EDUCATION was not readily available, opportunities to excel, although few, were never missed; and one way or the other, some descendants of the same African savages were able to make a name for themselves in North American history.
Survival is the basic instinct of mankind and this same instinct kept the slaves working and living and suffering and surviving with the hope of realizing a better life, if not now then in some hereafter.
If it were not for slavery there would be no Martin, no Malcolm, no Nat, no Harry, no Muhammad, no Sugar Ray, no Sammy Davis, no Bill Cosby, no Oprah, no Willie Mays, no Hank Aaron, no Colin Powell and no Thurgood Marshall, no Sidney Potier, no Denzel Washington, no Halle Berry, no Tiger Woods and no ME.
My fore brethren were forced to work for free, and were forbidden to go to school. They had children who grew up accepting this way of life and the belief system that they were somehow inferior to the white establishment. The white children grew up accepting the status quo and were conditioned to treat the slaves as equal to animals. We are what we learn.
To cement the racist economic system, the masters taught their progeny the idea that that all blacks are slaves forever and will never be welcome in society, physically, intellectually or spiritually.
The percentage of the population, who through intellectual or spiritual insight see slavery as inhumane and immoral, naturally fear their loss of material security; by the act of omission and silence, these moral cowards add credibility and legitimacy to the cruelty. Habitual neglect of evil situations, digress to the mental disease of denial.
Denial has become an integral part of the mental systems in our society, wherein our first defense is to react with a NO.
The expectation of the black man in America has always been one of neglect, intimidation and rejection; these situations have formed an underlying attitude. An expectation of oppression, an almost inherited sense of hopelessness, that no matter how hard you work, and no matter how much success you may achieve, you will never belong.
Every person has an insatiable desire to be free and to be free of worry about their safety. Whether this person is as strong, as skilful, as artistic, as quick, or as intelligent as we are; every person desires freedom. Freedom to think, to believe, to be, to live or not to live; we must have choice, we must have free will.
There is no price for freedom.
Any American who understands this should appreciate the contribution and instead of seeming hypocritical, should advocate some reparation to all black people whose forefathers were forced to work for nothing.