Comments on: More buried history: Black slave owners in the US

By: Winston A Jones

Winston A Jones — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 01:23:00 +0000

In the year 2000 I independently published ‘For God, Coun try and the Confederacy,’ a book about a frre, wealthy, educated black family of New Orleans. I wrote to show that black people were ore than just slaves. Although book clubs and civil war organization welcomed the book for its historical truth and significant, the black community shunned me. Wearing the badge of ‘slavery’ weighs more importantly than the truth. Knowing we were more than ‘just slaves’ psychologically will do more to help our children.What more the emphasis is put on education, which pretty much guarentees you not becoming a slave to today’s society. My book is stll available on Amazon.

By: Jules

Jules — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 04:40:00 +0000

You are a genius. can you please jump in my brain. normally when you read comments under articles you are confronted by the complete crudeness of character by many. you are a gem in an internet community of loudmouths, trolls, and angry naysayers. thank you, you might not know this, but your words like yours bring hope to an ever-discouraging world. I hate sounding so cheesy, but honestly you really struck a chord.

By: JOE_T1234

JOE_T1234 — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 03:26:00 +0000

hey! everthing is not all black and white. here I read a lot of truth and ignorants here so befor you make a not so bright comment, study history on a non bais level. Rudolphf R. Windsor book. is a good start [valley of the dry bones] . history is interesting we can’t do anything about the past but the future is attainable prejudice takes a back seat to humanity, if your life depened on someone to save you would you ask what their race is and would you care? the only race that matters is the human race, the devil have you fretting over black, white, yellow, and brown. their is good bad in all races. theirs fine women and ugly good looking men and ugly men in all races. its ok to support your race or familly. but dont turn it into a sickness like the kkk. killing innocent people. because when you die you must face the internal being. non beleivers will see Godbless you all. JT

By: Sekou

Sekou — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 17:45:00 +0000

Right On, Brother Trust. I couldn’t have said that any better. We must learn the truth of our past so that we can begin the healing that would allow us to strive to produce a better world that we ALL can be proud of. There are people out there just waiting for us to weaken ourselves so that they can invade and ENSLAVE us all as AMERICANS. Peace. Shmuel

By: Attila Domos

Attila Domos — Tue, 31 May 2011 16:05:00 +0000

I am European (Hungarian to be precise). History, all history people have been taught has been nothing more than lies or manipulation of the truth. The powers behind the curtain use these lies to manipulate the ignorant masses and control everything from stock markets to how we, the “irrelevant folks”, eat, think and go about our business. I think it sad when I see folks who don’t know their own people’s history, and this seems to be especially true in America… not just among blacks but whites as well. It amazes me to see how much America has been “dumbed down” over the years. I would say that slavery has never truly gone away, it only re-invented itself.

Contrary to what people think, most slaves did NOT get treated badly. I’m not just talking about the more recent black slaves in the New World, but slaves through out history in general. Slaves were expensive to keep. The owner had to feed them, clothe them, house them, get them doctors & medicine when they got sick, etc… so as you see… it cost the masters quite a bit of money to maintain slaves. Whipping and beating them would have been as stupid as someone now-a-days getting out and beating his/her car with a baseball bat, because it wouldn’t start. Slave ownership didn’t go away because man has suddenly reached some higher level of consciousness. Slave ownership went away only once the technology got good enough to replace the many slaves with one simple machine, which was cheaper to keep and operate. But… what to do with all of these free slaves? (Again… I’m not only referring to the blacks who were slaves in the New World). Well, the bankers came up with the perfect solution. Create an entire nation of what I call “happy slaves”. It was quite genius… really! It didn’t matter what the color of these new slaves’ skin was, the bankers were going to get filthy rich!

It used to be that the “American Dream” was the pursuit of happiness. That happiness meant what ever it meant to each individual. That, how ever, wasn’t good enough for the bankers. People’s “happiness” wasn’t going to line their pockets, so they had to come up with something better. But what? It had to be something that would put people back under their control. Then it hit them… HOUSING! From that point on “home ownership” was touted to be the American Dream. Of course, most people didn’t have the money to outright buy a house, so they had to go and beg the bankers for a loan, which they had to pay back with heavy interest. By the time the average home owner paid off his/her loan (if he or she ever did), it was 3 times more than the original loan. This ensured that the “happy slave” kept his job, did what he was told and paid back the money he was given for his hard work.

Most Americans work at least a 40 hour week. In most cases, if there are 2 adults in the household, they both have to work. This doesn’t leave much time for the average American to raise and maintain a family. These workers bust their behind to make “money”, and then give it right back to the new slave owners… the bankers. The American happy slave now has to pay for his own food, water, health care, housing, transportation, education, entertainment, etc… Most Americans are even giving the money back to the bankers faster than they are earning it. What has this type of lifestyle done to the American family? There’s more stress on the happy slave then ever before in history, there fore family structures have taken a hit and divorce is now the norm. Children are growing up in multiple homes and are taught that self esteem is more important than knowledge and achievement. The best Americans can hope for is that their children go to school and become an “indoor slave” (lawyer, doctor, etc), as opposed to those outdoor slaves who work in manual labor or minimum wage jobs.

I guess my point to this whole thing is that slavery has NEVER been about skin color. It’s always been about financial status and blood lines. If, through out history, you were one of the fortunate people to be born into a monarch family, for the most part life was alright. The monarch’s had their own sick problems to deal with, but that’s a topic for another debate. How ever, I’d say that over 90% of all of man kind wasn’t that lucky and there fore had to endure the life of slavery in one form or another. The next great down-sizing of mankind will come once robot technology is good enough to replace manual labor. It’s coming, and only a matter of time. Those of us who’re not fortunate enough to be a blue blood are indeed living on borrowed times.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 14:36:00 +0000

I don’t know if he would be a good person to ask since he does not claim any specific religion.

By: Learn2know2

Learn2know2 — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 14:01:00 +0000

It is believing in and practicing the slave master’s religion that continues to suppress the potential for an evolutionary process for black people. Ask Barack Obama!

By: Truth

Truth — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 00:46:00 +0000

To Dream 2010

I can’t teach everything; my hope is that my comments will encourage people to learn more history. African did sell African. But understand Europeans sold Europeans in slavery, Asian sold Asian, Indian sold Indian and so on and so on. Think how did the Irish get to the West Indies and the Americas? England defeated them in war and gave their lands to the Scotts (also called Scott-Irish, Scotts in Ireland). Just because a people share a continent and have the same skin color doesn’t mean they love each other. During the height of the slave trade there were several tribal wars in Africa. The losers of those wars make up the over 80% of slaves. Enslaving your enemies is common among every race of people, not just African. That is why modern Africans don’t really relate to slavery much. We, to them, lost our battles. Another way that Africans were sold is if they were debtors, criminals or witches- who did this also English. Let’s face it the rich don’t like the poor and weird cluttering their view. Lastly, Africans were stolen and so were poor whites. Many were said to have been “whisked” away and sent to the West Indies to be slaves. The African didn’t see themselves as doing anything wrong because everyone else was doing it. The thing I want people to understand is that all this is race based hate is foolish. The first Africans in this country were not slaves, and about 3000 of them were no different than the rest of the indentures until about 1640. They gained there freedom, owned land and married white people (No race mixing is not new). There was a time when our fore-fathers didn’t see color. Blacks, poor Whites, and Indians bonded together as slave and their enemy was the rich, so the rich divided the races to keep from losing their good thing. They wanted to keep the whites—who had dealt with them in Europe away from the blacks and Indians because they organized revolutions. They wanted to keep the Indian away from the African and poor white because they showed them how to navigate the land and escape, and they wanted to keep the African from the Indian and the white because the made white babies and white babies can bland into society, black babies stand out and can never blend in. In the end, it’s all a game that has us still at each other’s throats while the rich get richer, and the poor bail them out. In the end, if you are angry after reading this good that is what it is meant by “truth hurts.” Let it sting so it can heal and stop picking at it…

By: Ldogsmith

Ldogsmith — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 23:06:00 +0000

To prove how wrong black people are in their prejudice!!! And they are Highly prejudice, more then any other race! You ever been around an all black inviroment? You’ll know what I’m, talking about!

By: Lord knows

Lord knows — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 22:58:00 +0000

he world don’t have 50 yours. So i guess that’s not ganna happen!

By: Nonyrbus

Nonyrbus — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 22:56:00 +0000

only one thing not the same inside! One may be good the other evil. Colour has no menging!

By: April

April — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 00:32:00 +0000

I am an African American woman who is majoring in history and you have summed it up beautifully. Thank you.

By: Lullabulla4

Lullabulla4 — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 17:43:00 +0000

i agree, my best friend is black and it really pissed me off when people in our class started picking on her and trying to treat her like dirt our teacher din’t do anything to stop them, and it carried on, she was gettin bullied and none of the teachers would listen to me eventualy it stopped, but she’s scared.

By: Deram2010

Deram2010 — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 11:05:00 +0000

History shows you to be right in nearly everything you say. What I never see discussed is the fact that black Africans were first enslaved by other black Africans, who kidnapped them, bound them, and marched them to the coast to sell the victims to the white traders for shipment to the Southern plantations. People can’t pick and choose which villains to include in history. This reminds me of the other great lie of the 20th century, namely that the Fascists were ‘right-wing’ while Communists were ‘left-wing’ and somehow more virtuous. The truth of this matter is that both Mussolini and Hitler were socialists, as anyone can discover by simply reading what they wrote as their goals, and examining the economic policies they pursued. The only difference between Stalin and Hitler was that Stalin exterminated millions based on their class or their political opinions, whereas Hitler exterminated (fewer) millions based on their race or their political opinions. There were no real differences between the two monsters. They were both psychopathic socialist mass murderers. Mussolini, on the other hand, didn’t go in for extermination of any kind.

By: Sarkazm69

Sarkazm69 — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 17:44:00 +0000

Wow. You have no hope.

By: Amanda

Amanda — Fri, 24 Dec 2010 00:09:53 +0000

Am very sick n tierd of hearing black poepla was slaves like everyone knows that but when i really think about it our children should know what black poeple had been through being whiped n being hanged alot happen n it makes me cry all the time everytime when i hear black slavery but also glad that black slavary stoped cause i will go crazy if black slavery still was goin on till this day!

By: Truth

Truth — Sun, 21 Nov 2010 22:58:20 +0000

This is a sad state of affairs. Let me be the first to say both whites and blacks you were lied to. Blacks were told that their history was nothing more than slavery and poor white were told that they were better than the slaves because the “wealthy planters” saw it fit not to enslave them past you indentured “term.” In a request for sanity I ask that all people begin to learn their true history. For over 150 years we have been living in a lie, which we are afraid to step out of and find common ground.
White folks wake up, many of you were poor. To the rich all poor is cheap labor. It is estimated that less than 20% of the white population of the south owned slaves. The other 80%, like the slave, were denied the right to vote, you had no education, and you were unpaid tenant farmers on large plantations. Many of you were being fed and clothed by the owners too. In fact your only benefit to the Planter society was that you were the “guard dogs” protecting them from slave upraising. Since Slavery came to the US 200 years after the rest of the world, the wealthy learned not to leave poor whites and blacks bonding for too long (Please see Bacon’s rebel). They needed your help and enlisted you to protect their interest under the guise of “whiteness and Freedom,” while they wrote journals about you ignorance and less than human state. The term “cracker” didn’t come from blacks, but your wealthy white brothers. It amazes me to this day that you will still defend the wealthy and raise a Confederate flag with pride though it stood for your oppression and subjugation as much as for black. Believe me if the wealthy Planters could pick you up and send you back to Ireland, Germany or England they would. How do you think many of you got to America in the first place—the wealthy in those countries didn’t want you around.
Black Folks your ancestors were not all uneducated slaves cowering at the feet of “Massa.” Many slaves managed to teach themselves to read and write and had marketable skills. Yes there is no denying the mistreatment in slavery but most of it was done by the misguided poor white overs seers out of jealousy—oops yes I said it. Slaves were trained in skilled trades. The biggest scare for the poor white was can we compete with them when they are freed. Where many whites had no skill beyond faming, herding, and slave punishing the slaves were being trained as blacksmiths, masons, cooks, milliners, and carpenters to save Planters money. These skills gave them a leg up on the southern poor. Know that the slave and owners knew the value of the slave on the plantation. Many a poor white patroller or overseer was physically punished or imprisoned by Planters for over abusing slaves because such abuse could ruin productivity on a plantation. Slaves often “slowed down” in protest to abuses causing white owners to lose money.
I could go on, but it’s time for you all to learn the truth yourselves. Pick up a book. Racism and all the evils that come from it were born from the original sin of classism. I ask that all black and white whiners stop pouting about who is the biggest victims (just as many whites are on “government handouts” and free lunch as there are minorities) and work together towards the cause of maintaining a healthy middle class and an economy that is sustainable to all. The only thing either group owes each other is an apology for believing the lie for so long. If you are angry after reading this good, that is what it is meant by “truth hurts.” Let it sting so it can heal and stop picking at it…

By: kat

kat — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 09:53:52 +0000

There are no simple answers to the problems addressed here. But I do feel that the start to fixing things begin and ends with you. We are our own worst enemies… we can choose to be prisoners to our own thoughts and perceptions or we can live every day being the best we can be. If your not part of the solution your part of the problem. That’s just the way it is no matter what color you are. Look inside yourselves where we are all the same color.

By: bronzed

bronzed — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 04:30:11 +0000

People of color there is no hope, it took hundreds of years to get here and it will take thousands to get out. Educate your loved ones and move on.

By: Pat

Pat — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 00:04:45 +0000

I am curious.Why are all these so called’WHITE’ people on this blog???????????????
Especially, since they appear to hate black people!!!