| Don't ever kid yourself. Life for slaves
in America was brutal. Work was long and tedious. Food, clothing
and housing were pathetic. The laws of the various states and the
United States gave slave owners tremendous power over the lives and
welfare
of their "property." Families were often broken up and the rape of
slaves was not only not a crime, some demented creatures considered it
a legitimate gentleman's amusement. These are facts. There
is no way of knowing how many slaves were murdered. We likewise have
no idea how many Africans died in capture and transit. It may have
been a number that exceeds that of the Nazi Holocaust. Strangely,
there is a movement today to question the Nazi Holocaust as to its
severity
or even its very existence. Similar minds try to assuage their
consciences
over the Holocaust of Slavery by stating (correctly) that some slaves
were
sold into slavery by fellow Africans. I'm not sure what that proves. It
seems obvious that no person would have been sold into slavery without
a buyer...last time I checked, it takes a seller AND a buyer to
consummate
a sale.
Some white people also claim (incorrectly) that the Civil War was fought for the sole purpose of ending slavery. In case you're white and still reading this, allow me to point out that Abraham Lincoln stated that if he could avoid the war by keeping slavery he would do so. You might also note that the so called Emancipation Proclamation only freed slaves in states fighting against the Union. Slavery was legal, it was regulated and at best, it was only a political wedge issue for all but the most vocal moral minority. The Civil War was fought mainly over economic issues such as the tariff as well as state's rights issues. Slavery was an important issue but it was not the key issue. There were slave states and pro slavery people who stayed in the Union. A number of whites like to claim that they had an ancestor who fought to free the slaves. They feel this somehow excuses them for criticism for slavery or its racist aftermath. This argument is perplexing because some of these people reject the idea that modern day black Americans have been harmed by the fact their ancestors were slaves. They fail to see the conflict in these two positions. On one hand the actions of their ancestors excuse them from responsibility yet what was done to other people's ancestors is irrelevant to today. Actually, modern day black citizens have been harmed by a constant stream of societal, government supported, actions that began with slavery and continue until today. Slavery and Jim Crow segregation are part of a package of wrongs. We might as well tell some more painful truths. Many white people could not possibly have ancestors who fought in the Civil War to free slaves or for any other reason. First of all, the war was so unpopular that the draft was introduced to compel service. And this draft was met with violent riots by those affected! Troops actually had to be diverted from the war to quell draft riots in New York. Bounties had to be paid in places like Ohio to get men to enlist. Even at that, some Ohioans became "bounty jumpers" and fled with their money, some to enlist elsewhere and repeat the offense. Many white Americans will find that their earliest immigrant ancestors came here AFTER the Civil War! We have a tendency to wish for some things so hard they become realities. We are reminded of those white Americans who wish to absolve themselves of blame for the mistreatment of Native Americans by claiming "Indian Blood." Truthfully, the ancestors of most modern day white people never made the serious acquaintance of an Indian for any reason. So what's the photo about? It's but one of many swamps in the South. Turn the clock back to the days before the Civil War. You're a slave and you're going to try to escape to freedom. You're on foot, obviously. Speaking of feet, you've never had a pair of shoes or boots. You're lucky to find a blanket and an extra shirt for your escape. You have no compass and you have no firearm. Of course even if you had a gun you wouldn't know how to load it and besides, these were muzzle loaders, how would you keep your powder dry? There are few roads in the Deep South ( or in most of the country for that matter) but it doesn't matter because you can't chance being seen so you'll stick to the woods. It can get cold in the South at night in the months that have R's in them. The temperature doesn't have to go below freezing for an exposed person to die of hypothermia. No fires...fires make smoke and smoke draws the attention of slave catchers. You've probably never had the chance to learn to swim or make a raft. That's probably not too big a deal because the water is full of alligators and venomous snakes anyway. And the water is everywhere...disease infested swamps, deep rivers with dangerous currents, small streams and rock strewn creeks. Where exactly are you going to find food after the meager hunks of bread you started your journey with are gone? Still with me? OK, just how bad would your living conditions have had to be to make you take these risks to escape? How strong would your desire for freedom have had to be? No Minuteman or Colonial patriot took greater risks, suffered more or had a greater desire to be free. Reaching the North wasn't the end of it. Your government had passed laws that made fugitive slaves prey to bounty hunters. You had to find friendly faces....free blacks of course...a precious few whites also entered your life to help but for the most part you were on your own to fight against people and governments to gain your freedom. You had to get to Canada. These were every freedom loving person's ancestor. These were super heroes...giants! What can we do? That's easy...and the hardest thing that will
ever be asked of us. Do the right thing. We can't do anything
about the past except use it as a guide...as a conscience. Do the
right thing...today...and tomorrow. Read. There are excellent
and thoroughly accurate chronicles of the black experience in America.
John Hope Franklin's From Slavery To Freedom is a classic.
There are many others. If you're black, how about sharing your
experiences
about what you saw and experienced in Milford? You know what we only
suspect. Contact me if you are willing to educate us about the truths
that made up your life in those days.
A Little Bit Of History
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