This changes what we have heard...
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@DoubleDD “Most blacks were sold into slavery by their own people.”
Careful with this one. This alleged “fact” is often urged by people who think it somehow implicates blacks in the depopulation of Africa. Blacks participating in enslaving other blacks were paid to do so, and captured blacks of competing tribes. It stands to reason that if they couldn’t find anyone, they themselves would have been taken. Or do you think the slavers would have bid them a “Cheerio!” and sailed away peacefully?There was not some type of African Slave Mall where blacks sold other blacks to whites who wandered in not knowing what they were after. Slavers were fully in charge. They built it, they ran it, and any blacks trying to survive by working in it were just puppets. Repeating this canard is no more probative of black complicity in white racism than citing Jewish trustees in a concentration camp is of alleged Jewish “cooperation” in their own proposed extermination.
And yes, North American and European shipping ran the slave trade in the 1700’s and 1800’s. The New England shipping industry is infamous for having become wealthy in the slave/sugar/rum trade triangle. There were really two: It started involving European ports but as the American colonies became a producer of more goods, the ships went from the Caribbean to New England to Africa. After England abolished slavery in 1807, many ships just went between Africa and the Caribbean. Spain abolished slavery in 1811, but Cuba kept it, so that route stayed.
If you haven’t seen the movie 1776, you might find it enlightening (despite it being a musical). Many facts are distorted, but not the general themes. There is a song about the trade triangle and how the north had its own interest in slavery. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=IeuaTpH6Ck0
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@JayHawkFanToo There’s nothing wrong with holding everyone accountable. But you act like wrongdoings by Democrats somehow justify bad things that Republicans do. Can’t we disapprove of all wrong doing without sorting it into two partisan buckets first? Do you assume that all people who agree with some liberal idealogy condone all actions by all Democratic politicians?
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No, I do not. Here is an article from the Huffington Post, a source that is high in the list of approved liberal sources, and it lists Andrew Johnson as the most racist president.
Here is another list that has him at #3
Here is another that has him at #1
This one form the African Globe has him as #1 as well.
Andre Jackson was also a racist according to the lists above.
I enjoy history and I was familiar most of the names on the various lists although some of the details were foggy. At my age, I don’t remember details as well as I used to; thank God for the Internet.
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@DoubleDD “I’ve also read that in the south the Blacks were able to really have their own communities as long as they worked the farms.”
There were very few universal truths about slavery, that is for sure.
Interesting aside: My wife and I bought a house way out in Virginia’s Stafford County. On the 3.5 acres, there was a .5 acre set aside for a private cemetery and an easement on the edge so it could be accessed.
When we explored the overgrown cemetery, we discovered several brown flagstones upright. Most had no legible markings or only a year on them (all between 1780 and 1802). One, however, had two sets of dates, something like “1794-1806” and “1809”.
I was interested in finding out more about the cemetery, including what our responsibilities were (if any) for maintaining it.I contacted the Virginia State Historical Preservation department. They had no record of a cemetery there, so they recorded it. They told me we had no special obligations, but legally we could not build in that set aside unless we went through a full published notice process to allow survivors of the buried to come forward, and then hired a funeral home to disinter and rebury in another cemetery (again, with published notice). They also said we would need to contact them so they could monitor the excavation because it was probably a slave cemetery.
We had no interest in moving it, but I did more research. It turns out that one of the major sources of information about African culture brought by African slaves to the US has been found in slave cemeteries. Slaves were not allowed to keep many of their African rituals (enforced conversion), but in Virginia it was common for slaveowners to allow slaves to continue their burial practices. Among the slaves’ customs were two practices that have proven to be a boon to students of this subject. First, it was common for a decedent who had come from Africa to be buried with their dearest personal possesions, which for slaves brought here included objects brought with them from Africa–there were not many, and they were cherished. Including these in the grave was likely seen as a talisman that could guide them back to Africa. These objects have included cloth, leather objects, small artworks, and the like.
The second practice Africans were allowed to keep was likely simply to keep slave cemeteries from eating up too much land–slaves from Africa kept the African custom of burying more than one person in a single grave, often stacking them several layers high. This has resulted in, among other things, being able to study how slaves’ perceptions and choices of the talismanic objects changed over time, and how much culture was passed down to offspring as they continued or discontinued the practice.
The two sets of dates on that one flagstone was probably one of these graves.
When we sold the house, our realtor wanted us to keep the cemetery a secret until closing. I disagreed, and gave the history and preservation information to the prospective buyers when they visited. The 2 teenage girls thought it was really cool, and they were hoping it was haunted.
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No, this is not at all what I am saying. What I am saying is that if we are going to remove statues/monuments/memorials of high profile racist people, we should be consistent and consider all the high profile racist people, regardless of affiliation, and not just the ones that fit the agenda.
I just saw that the Reverend Al Sharpton now wants to remove the Jefferson Memorial, one of the landmarks of our country; do you think we should do it?
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@JayHawkFanToo But what Constitutional Convention are you referring to? There hasn’t been one in the US since 1787. That is why I thought there was a mixup. In any event, yes, they were both racist. So was Teddy, incidentally (Republican!). Eisenhower was, too, and probably Truman, but both used the Presidency to make some major strides in racial progress. Truman: integrating the armed forces; Ike: Little Rock.
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@JayHawkFanToo If millions of people felt that way? Maybe. But there’s a difference. The Civil War was in large part about the institution of slavery. Jefferson represents the founding of this country, first and foremost. I don’t really care what Al Sharpton says.
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@JayHawkFanToo @approxinfinity
Ditto to approx in regards to the last sentence, but I am more hesitant to bow to popular sentiment on removing history. Some of it is too based on momentary passions. I believe in learning history, not erasing it. The Confederate statues are different than statues of people who owned slaves such as the founders. The founders statues are there for historical, revolutionary accomplishments. The Confederates are being honored with statues for rebelling against the United States. I have problems with lauding treason against my country. Go figure.
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@DoubleDD I just reread your comments in the Colin K thread where you talked about the importance not only of respecting the American flag itself but also the importance of respecting what it has meant to millions of Americans.
Please for a moment put the Charlottesville events in the context of what seeing Nazi banners and KKK flags paraded in the city must mean to Americans who know very well how those symbolize threats to their very right to existence if the people carrying them were to achieve power.
Now, think about why – in the context of knowing how scary it is to imagine the paraders getting power – people might feel dismay when the paraders celebrate excitedly because they believe the President is legitimizing their cause. Even if they are wrong, isn’t it up to the President to forcibly clarify that he does not stand for them, that this is libel of the worst kind, and that he hates everything they stand for?
That would uplift the value of the American flag far above the symbols of hate and extermination.
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Is this random or something bigger?
This is the kind of thing that I was speaking of. This person or persons probably don’t even know that Lincoln fought to end slavery. Yet to them their lack of knowledge is no matter. Just being apart of the movement is all that matters.
If they can do this to Honest Abe, you think GW is safe?
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@DoubleDD Some people, of all persuasions, are just idiots and enjoy destroying things.
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@DoubleDD also disgraceful, this story quotes a random person on an indeterminate social media platform to try to strengthen their point. Apparently, their target is not the person who did this, but rather everyone who possibly could have done this or sympathized with this.
"F- Abe Lincoln,” responded Quintin Mitchell, whose comment was “liked” or deemed “funny” by 160 others.
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@DoubleDD That story doesn’t even say who did it? It could have been some White Supremacist trying to get payback for all we know.
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DoubleDD said:
It’s not about picking sides for me. As I get your passion on taking down the statues. Yet I’m skeptical that is where it ends. You this is a movement. Movements don’t end until they are impeded. If you think this movement stops with statues then I’m not sure you’re seeing the same picture I’m seeing.
This movement is receiving a well earned victory. The statues are indeed coming down. However will it stop there? Will the leaders of this movement and it’s people be satisfied.
That’s the million dollar question. Many of our founder fathers were indeed slave owners. Will it appease the movement that some of these founding fathers release their slaves at their demise? Or will the movement say not good enough? Lets not for get our constitution was signed by slave owners. Will this one day try to take down the constitution because it was signed by slave owners?
Your guess is as good as mine.
You mean the movement of equality and ending racism? What about that scares you?
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This whole Charlottesville thing has been really tough on me personally. As an African American, it has been difficult to put into words what I have felt over the last several days.
The sight of hundreds of white nationalists walking down the street, proudly in broad daylight is jarring. It’s jarring because it used to be that most of these individuals wanted to hide their hateful ideals from the rest of the world. That’s no longer the case. They broadcast their hate for the world to see, arguing that they are just proud to be who they are.
Let me stop here and say that everyone should be proud of who they are, regardless of race, creed, color, orientation, ethnicity, religion, hometown or anything else. Diversity isn’t a declaration that any one group is better than another. It is a declaration that the differences within each of us make all of us better. Diversity includes everyone, including white people. The reason that diversity offers opportunities for non whites is that generally, white people already have a seat at the table for every discussion. Diversity and inclusion are trying to add a variety to the opinions available.
Let’s put this out there right now - the very ideology of white supremacy is that they want to spark a race riot or race war in which all minorities, immigrants, Jews and other “undesirables” (i.e. gays, non-English speakers, non-white supremacists) are either killed or driven from the country. That’s the endgame for white supremacists. To have the president act as an apologist to them is not just disappointing as a minority - it’s life threatening. That’s why you saw the white supremacists show up with guns and body armor. They weren’t looking for a peaceful march - they came for a fight.
These groups no longer fear public shame or identification. They are emboldened. As a black man, that puts my very life in jeopardy. That is not hyperbole. That is real life. We saw last week that one man drove his car into a crowd in an act of domestic terrorism. We have seen in the past where white supremacists have tortured and killed minorities who stopped to get gas or groceries at night. If the president is going to decry the MS-13 gang (rightly, because they are a criminal gang), he should speak just as strongly against what happened last weekend, rather than blaming both sides (white supremacy groups are often funded through criminal activity as well - drug sales, robbery, human trafficking, etc.).
This is no longer about politics. This is about human decency. One side wants equality. The other wants suppression. We fought a war 150 years ago and equality won out. Are we really interested in rolling things back, because only one side wants a do-over on that.
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@justanotherfan I can’t even imagine what it’s like for you, please know that I stand w/you!
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I appreciate the support.
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Why do you assume I’m scared? I just question the motive and reasoning for tearing down those statues. Where was this movement when Obama was in office?
Another point is I see more young white persons wanting/demanding these statues come down than I do Black Americans. In fact see a lot of Black Americans saying leave them up. What’s going on here? If Blacks are demanding the statues come down? Then why isn’t the media and such showing them?
Are we to bow to every demand of someone that is offended?
I’m not trying to stir the pot by any means. Yet just trying to have the conversation. I’m not sure you feel the same?
I see those statues not as rewarding hatred, yet as reminding future Americans of it’s history, and just how far we’ve come as a nation. I’m not alone in my thinking.
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I guess this is the new America? Because the altleft is never violent? I wander if she feared for her life?
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@DoubleDD stop it!
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To be honest she probably deserved it, as she was egging them on. Yet can’t a person stand in this free America for what they believe without fear of being beat/killed. I’m sorry that didn’t look like and Altleft crowd that cared about freedom of speech to me.
I’m just pointing out that racism and fear goes both ways. Sorry if I’m being to surreal.
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@DoubleDD I think there have been some pretty strong arguments for why it is the right thing to take the statues down. If there’s one thing we’ve learned about this presidency it is that polls can be deceiving, right?
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I agree polls can be way off, and I would never defend them. As I believe polls are taken with an agenda in mind. You no what I mean?
I’m sorry if I becoming sour grapes on this subject. I just hate the idea that we can’t even have the conversation on the subject. I know I will be labeled as a racist because of some the points I bring up. I don’t like it. I don’t think it’s fair.
What do we really want? equality or retribution? I never owned no slaves. I wouldn’t because In my upbringing I was taught that all persons are the same. I wasn’t taught to hate. I wasn’t taught think I’m better. I’ve seen it with my own eyes.
Me personally I think the real fight should be on public schools funding. I’ve seen both sides, and it’s far from fair. Kids in poor schools don’t get a fair shake. They just don’t. Taking down statues is a nice gesture but it changes nothing. Slavery still happened, you can’t erase that. Yet if we the people focus our passion and resources that can make a difference. Like Public school equality. That’s a fight I want in on.
I know I’ve offended some. I just think tearing down statues does nothing. I also wandering where does it stop. With the constitution?
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mayjay said:
Even if they are wrong, isn’t it up to the President to forcibly clarify that he does not stand for them, that this is libel of the worst kind, and that he hates everything they stand for.
Here are the President’s full remarks as posted by USA Today, which I am sure you would consider a valid source.
What else can he say that he has not already? Doesn’t his statement says exactly what you said it should?
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@JayHawkFanToo this is after his initial statement saying both sides were to blame and then saying that again on Wednesday. For a white supremacist that reads like “I don’t want to hate on you but I have to. All these things I have to say for the camera.” I think it is pretty apparent that there is very deliberate subtext here in a lame attempt to fracture as little as possible the racist voting block that powered Trump in the election. Now it’s clear that the backlash is too great, so Bannon falls on his sword and is “out” which means out the front door and in the backdoor, while dropping some ominous statements. Can you tell me what Bannon meant by:
“His natural tendency — and I think you saw it this week on Charlottesville — his actual default position is the position of his base, the position that got him elected.”
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@JayHawkFanToo There were 3 elements to the statement I proposed, none of which were in Trump’s actual statement. Even Fox accepted that Trump backtracked from the middle statement that contained some condemnation.
