Douglas, You made a good point. That is why humans split up into tribes, because of their differences. It is just another example of mans inhumanity to man. The point I attempted to make earlier was that no one writing about history should make blanket statements. Just as I would not say that all Europeans owned slaves, and no Africans did. That is not correct nor is it correct to say that all Africans sold slaves, or sold other Africans into slavery. Although some of my ancestors were slaves, I cannot say that I am an expert on slavery. What I do know comes from second hand and oral history. My Great Great Grandmother was sold into slavery from Guinea in 1830. She was twelve years old at the time, and bore children who were also enslaved. She lived out her last years in Pennsylvania with my Great Grandfather, her son. My mother said that she hated the Yankees (the Union Soldiers), and often called them, "Damn Yankees". She was on an island off of the coast of South Carolina and they did not go to the Island. I believe she was upset with them for leaving them on the Island. She was not rescued until 1879 when her son found her and took her north. I guess she expected more from the Yankees then the Southerners who enslaved her. Anita Order Sites for Notes And Documents of Free Persons of Color - Barnes & Noble: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp? userid=9v5Ox3pAni&isbn=1411603338&itm=1 LEBOUDIN INFORMATION SITE: http://www.orgsites.com/ca/leboudinpub/ -- "J. Douglas Deal" <[log in to unmask]> wrote: Just another point about the apparent absence of racial solidarity when Africans enslave "fellow Africans," etc. Throughout recorded history, members of the same "race" have been known to slaughter each other with abandon; occasionally the carnage has crossed racial lines as well, but the prevailing pattern has been antagonism toward, not solidarity with, ones near or somewhat distant neighbors. Certainly from medieval times on, we see Europeans ("whites") warring with other Europeans, Africans ("blacks") doing the same with other Africans, native Americans ("reds"?) with other native Americans, and so forth. Expecting to see solidarity instead of antagonism *within* any given racial grouping is a historical . "African" and "black" were not meaningful categories for the many diverse peoples of that vast continent. Tribal and religious identities did matter. Ditto Europe and the Americas. Douglas Deal Professor of History State University of New York at Oswego Oswego, NY 13126 [log in to unmask] (315)-312-3441 To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html _____________________________________________________________________ PrivatePhone - FREE telephone number & voicemail. A number so private, you can make it public. http://www.privatephone.com To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html