Neil and All,
I have assumed for some time that we are having our legs pulled by Mr.
Forest. Still, this discussion is a useful exercise because we have been
trying to figure out what is the American character as it crosses racial
lines; which is a variant of what is human nature everywhere and always.
Frederick Douglass said over 160 years ago: "If you have a cruel master you
want a kind master but if you have a kind master then you want to be your
own master."
The Bible says "man does not live by bread alone." If our ideals were
entirely material, then kind treatment in slavery might be sufficient. But
then if that were the case, we would not be talking on this listserve since
it doesn't put bread on the table.
Ultimately, Neil you are right: some conclusions simply don't require
much discussion.
best,
Harold S. Forsythe
----- Original Message -----
From: "macbd1" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Friday, March 02, 2007 1:11 PM
Subject: Re: Slave Narrative for WPA Project
> How can we allow, let alone participate in, such a bland discussion about
> basic human rights, where some even believe, or rather 'say,' that slaves
> were apparently happy with their plight. Human slavery and traumatic
> family upheaval and transportation, is/was such an abomination, so
> demeaning, so basically inhuman, so cruel, so wrong, so unacceptable.
> Freedom with liberty for all is man's ultimate way (it's sad that I feel
> inclined to add for this forum, meaning all of humankind.) Read the words
> and minds of those who violently rebelled, those who ran away, those who
> had the will and found the means for obtaining freedom or death, those who
> sacrificed so much in so many ways, to truly understand. Do the same for
> the many individuals who helped the rebels and runaways. Think about
> words of the old hymn, 'Free at Last,' and interpretations of many other
> 'old Negro spirituals' (historical context) of the early/mid 19th century.
> Read other sources, many on-line, for personal letters by slaves and
> ex-slaves. Look inside yourself and extrapolate the dots.
>
> Should we expect ex-slaves to have exclaimed: I believe it is
> self-evident, that all men are created equal, that we are endowed, by our
> Creator, with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life,
> Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness -- and, by God, never forget as to
> prevent slavery's recurrence or appearance elsewhere!
>
> Some conclusions simply don't require much discussion, IMHO.
>
> Neil McDonald
>
> An old Scotch-Irishman
> having early/mid-19th century ancestors
> just above Ripley, Ohio.
>
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