Black History Month, Part 2: The Issue of Slavery

For more entertaining drivel on Reparations, check out one of the leading groups for Reparations.

“We want our just inheritance: the trillions of dollars due us for the labor of our ancestors who worked for hundreds of years without pay. We demand the resources required removing all badges and indicia of slavery”

The National Coalition of Blacks for Reparations in American (N’COBRA)

http://www.ncobra.com/ncobra_info.htm

This week, we'll look at the institution of slavery and some things you probably won't hear in history class. It is not my goal to glorify slavery nor to condone it, but merely to show that the slanted view we get in class doesn't stand up to objective, historical analysis.

"N'COBRA, is a coalition of organizations and individuals committed to the economic, cultural, intellectual, political, social, and spiritual empowerment of black people in the USA. We are the descendants, and thus the heirs, of Africans kidnapped, transported, and enslaved in the Americas"

They claim that they are descendants of kidnapped Africans. It is worth noting that many slaves were slaves before they were sold to Europeans. In fact, many families and tribes betrayed their own people to make a quick buck. African Kingdoms such as the Ashanti, Benin, Oyo, Dahomey, and Kongo played their role in selling their people. But, let's not confine ourselves to a few examples. Let's dig deeper!

In about 1000 A.D., the Songhai state emerged in western Africa. This became one of the largest Empires in West Africa in the 15th and 16th centuries. However, this empire didn't exist forever and many of the people of this empire were enslaved by other West African empires. Hmmm...African slaves and the slave owners were African! Many of the African nations that had a large dependence on trade were also heavily involved in capturing and selling other Africans. (i.e. the Ashanti people of Ghana and the Yoruba people of Nigeria) Later, these sales would be made to the Europeans that were in a triangular trade route between the Americans, the West Indies, and Africa. Thus, many of the slaves that came to America were slaves already - now they just got to enjoy the benefits of life in America rather than what some desert offered in Africa.

Yes, I said benefits. The fact of the matter is, many slave owners in America, nay, the majority of slave owners in America only had 7 to 10 slaves. The slave owners worked in the fields with their slaves and they were treated very well by their "masters." Think about it. A slave, at the time, was a purchased possession. They weren't free. To deliberately torture and beat a slave would be economic suicide for the slave owners. Now, I'm not suggesting that that sort of thing didn't go on. However, history shows us it was far more scarce then we are led to believe.

To summarize, to claim that you are a descendant of such slaves, one is impossible to prove, and two would mean that you might be a descendant of an African who sold out their own people. So, dig in your own wallet and pay your neighbor this "deserved" reparation!

Now, here's the fun part. Without a little censorship from Dixie you'd never know about this. During the Civil War, there were black slave owners in America! Any why not? It happened in Africa, why not here as well! I found a great essay on this issue. Click the link and read more http://americancivilwar.com/authors/black_slaveowners.htm. If you further want to get riled up, read this http://www.deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,635175667,00.html.

I'm sorry if this doesn't flow with your PC idea of history, but it is the truth. The issue of slavery is important in our history. But, as history has shown, it isn't someone else's job to try to make me feel guilty for it.