Slavery-3 Essay, Research Paper

Slavery

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“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are

endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life,

Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness” (Thomas Jefferson).

Slavery in America stems well back to when the new world was first discovered and

was led by the country to start the African Slave Trade- Portugal. The African Slave

Trade was first exploited for plantations in that is now called the Caribbean, and

eventually reached the southern coasts of America (Slavery Two; Milton Meltzer). The

African natives were of all ages and sexes. Women usually worked in the homes,

cooking and cleaning, whereas men were sent out into the plantations to farm. Young

girls would usually help in the house also and young boys would help in the farm by

bailing hay and loading wagons with crops.

Since trying to capture the native Indians, the Arawaks and Caribs, failed (Small-Pox

had killed them), the Europeans said out to capture African slaves.

They were shipped from Africa by the Europeans in what was called The Triangular

Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade. This was an organized route where Europeans would travel

to Africa bringing manufactured goods, capture Africans and take them to the

Caribbean, and then take the crops and goods and bring them back to Europe. The

African people, in order to communicate invented a language that was a mixture of all

the African languages combined, called Creole. This language now varies from island to

island. They also kept their culture which accounts for calypso music and the

instruments used in these songs.

Slavery was common all over the world until 1794 when France signed the Act of the

National Convention abolishing slavery. It would take America about a hundred years to

do the same (Slavery Two; Milton Meltzer).

George Washington was America’s hero. He was America’s first president. He was a

slave owner. He deplored slavery but did not release his slaves. His will stated that

they would be released after the death of his wife (The Volume Library; 1988).

Washington wasn’t the only president to have slaves. Thomas Jefferson wrote, “All men

are created equal” but died leaving his blacks in slavery.

In 1775 black Americans were sent to fight in the revolutionary army. The British

proposed that if a black man was to join their army, they would be set free afterwards.

America originally planned not to let the blacks fight in the army, but when hearing this,

let them enlist. Only Georgia and South Carolina refused to let them enlist, but paid for

their racism when each lost 25,000 blacks to the British. The slaves returned on an

honorable discharge after securing America’s freedom, but not their own (Software

Toolworks Encyclopedia; 1992).

Slavery continued and so did the numbers of slaves trying to escape to the free states

or into Canada. A runaway slave would be found by bloodhounds, trained to find black

slaves. Then the slave, upon returning, would be executed or severely whipped.

The “Underground Railroad” was a project that helped black slaves escape into Canada,

especially Amherstburg. The system involved 3,000 white helpers and freed an

estimated 75,000 people after the civil war.

Slavery in the middle of the 1800’s was abolished except for the rebellion states in the

south. In 1863, the Emancipation Proclamation was issued which made slavery illegal in

the states that had rebelled and allowed black slaves to serve in the army and get

other jobs, or continue to work on the plantations, as employees making money.

The nightmare of slavery was over but a new one was to begin. One that was worse

for it was prevalent but was secret and silent. One that exists today. One that does

not shrink but rather grows. Racism was and is upon us.

“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will

not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character” (Martin

Luther King Jr.)

Ku Klux Klan. Neo Nazis. The Aryan Nations. The American Nazi Party. What are these

groups? Why are they present in a land of supposed equality of all men? They are there

because there are millions of Americans that believe in their message of white pride.

The African American population is growing and Americans are now a mixed group of

people. Black people are white people’s neighbors, doctors, friends. With a growing

unity between the two races, why does racism continue? The answer is simple. Racists

from many years ago raise their kids in clans and white supremacy groups and teach

them the ways of hatred. These kids grow up “brain-washed” that black people are

their enemies and, taught by example, will continue this trend (The Volume Library;

1988).

The Ku Klux Klan has been around since the end of the civil war. It is a roller coaster of

a history. From extreme power, to rapid decline, and slow reemergence (Software

Toolworks Encyclopedia; 1992). The clan, who is notorious for its violence, has a

relatively innocent beginning. It was formed from some veterans from the confederate

army and was first called the Kuklos Clan which, in Greek, meant Circle Clan. One

person thought it would be a good idea to call it the “Ku Klux Klan” as a parody of the

fraternity names which always had three Greek alphabet letters in it. They created the

Clan to be mischievous and to do it without anyone knowing who they were which

accounts for their costumes and masks. They, like most whites, were upset that the

black people were free because black people were a constant reminder of the bitter

defeat of the South. So to have fun they terrorized black people. Eventually the group

grew, fluctuating, but grew to become the first white supremacy group in America and

with that growth, their hatred grew as well into what was seen in the early and middle

1900’s and what is seen today.

Along with the KKK, other anti-black, pro-white groups formed and stemmed out all

over the U.S.A. The Neo Nazis who are more commonly know by the term “Skin Heads”,

are a growing force in hate groups. There hatred of Hispanics, Jews, Blacks, and others

are now the fastest growing force in America. The Skin Head movement is usually done

by the younger kids. These kids are drawn to the Aryan Nations and Neo Nazis by the

promise of free drugs, free booze, heavy metal music, ultimate freedom and rebellion. A

lot of these kids stay because of family troubles at home and, like in a gang, feel like

they have a family with the group and feel loved. “The skinheads are a family… A lot of

us don’t have what you’d call a home” commented Joshua, who is a 16 year old

recruiter in California (United They Hate; Michael Kronenwetter).

The race war was in full force by the 1960’s. With the growth of white supremacy and

their groups, black too had a weapon. Martin Luther King Jr. lead his people to march in

Washington to end segregation and to form black unity for an equal and better

America. Malcolm X, who was a Muslim, may have come from a different religion than

his Christian counterpart, but had a very similar message and a similar fate. Both were

assassinated.

Today the hate groups of America have spread into Canada and are particularly

common in Manitoba. The major sects are of the same name as their American cousins

with a very similar message.

Racism, despite much opposition, will never end. As long as there is fighting among a

Jew and a Palestinian or hatred between a white and a black, Racism will be there. Only

a utopian society can achieve such a dream. It is in human nature to have a few

people that do not understand or possibly hate those who are different but, in fact, we

are not different, we are judgmental and we are discriminatory, we segregate. We are

unique individuals but among races we are equal and the same.