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Our tillage is exercised in a large plain or common, some hours walk from our dwellings, and all the neighbors resort thither in a body. They use no beasts or husbandry, and their only instruments are hoes, axes, shovels, and beaks, or pointed iron to dig with. Sometimes we are visited by locusts, which come in large clouds so as to darken the air and destroy our harvest. This however happens rarely, but when it does a famine is produced by it. I remember an instance or two wherein this happened. This common is often the theater of war and therefore when our people go out to till their land they not only go in a body but generally take their arms with them for fear of a surprise, and when they apprehend an invasion they guard the avenues to their dwellings by driving sticks into the ground, which are so sharp at one end as to pierce the foot and are generally dipped in poison. From what I can recollect of these battles, they appear to have been irruptions of one little state or district on the other to obtain prisoners or booty. Perhaps they were incited to this by those traders who brought the European goods I mentioned amongst us. Such a mode of obtaining slaves in Africa is common, and I believe morc are procured this way and by kidnapping than any other. When a trader wants slaves he applies to a chief for them and tempts him with his wares. It is not extraordinary if on this occasion he yields to the temptation with as little firmness, and accepts the price of his fellow creature's liberty with as little reluctance as the enlightened merchant. Accordingly he falls on his neighbours and a desperate battle ensues. If he prevails and takes prisoners, he gratifies his avarice by selling them; but if his party be vanquished and he falls into the hands of the enemy, he is put to death: for as he has been known to foment their quarrels it is thought dangerous to let him survive, and no ransom can save him, though all other prisoners may be redeemed. We have fire-arms, bows and arrows, broad two-edged swords and javelins: we have shields also which cover a man from head to foot. All are taught the use of these weapons; even our women are warriors and march boldly out to fight along with the men. Our whole district is a kind of militia: on a certain signal given, such as the firing of a gun at night, they all rise in arms and rush upon their enemy. It is perhaps something remarkable that when our people march to the field a red flag or banner is borne before them. I was once a witness to a battle in our common. We had been all at work in it one day as usual, when our people were suddenly attacked. I climbed a tree at some distance, from which I beheld the fight. There were many women as well as men on both sides; among others my mother was there, and armed with a broad sword. After fighting for a considerable time with great fury and after many had been killed, our people obtained the victory and took their enemy's Chief prisoner. Hc was carried off in great triumph, and though he offered a large ransom for his life he was put to death. A virgin of note among our enemies had been slain in the battle, and her arm was exposed in our market-place where our trophies were always exhibited. The spoils were divided according to the merit of the warriors. Those prisoners which were not sold or redeemed we kept as slaves: but how different was their condition from that of the slaves in the West Indies! With us they do no more work than other members of the community, even their master; their food, clothing and lodging were nearly the same as theirs, (except that they were not permitted to eat with those who were freeborn), and there was scarce any other difference between them than a superior degree of importance which the head of a family possesses in our state, and that authority which, as such, he exercises over every part of his household. Some of thcse slaves have even slaves under them as their own property and for their own use.
At least the USA acted like these Europeans were welcome. No such welcome for us.
And as has been pointed out before, they didn't have to come here. Nobody was forcing them to come here.
I don't know if welcome is the correct term, immigrants and the Irish in particular were treated very badly. While they didn;t have to come here it was far from ideal and in some cases worse conditions than what they left. Some of the perceptions like "subhuman" were equally applied to many immigrants.
Our immigrant ancestors were not wanted in America. Ads for employment often were followed by "NO IRISH NEED APPLY." They were forced to live in cellars and shanties, partly because of poverty but also because they were considered bad for the neighborhood...they were unfamiliar with plumbing and running water. These living conditions bred sickness and early death. It was estimated that 80% of all infants born to Irish immigrants in New York City died. Their brogue and dress provoked ridicule; their poverty and illiteracy provoked scorn.
I don't know how accurate that is but if it's right that is crazy which is the only word I can think of to describe it.
The parents of those children had no choice because they needed the wages to survive. If the Father died it was over, the mine company would throw the dead body on the porch with an eviction notice to vacate the house.
Every ethnic background has has sad and rough parts in their history. Every one of them are able to overcome these parts of history. It is only individuals that try to hold on to this past, that dont overcome it.
Well...even today if you look at how some of the immigrant migrant farm workers are treated....its pretty terrible. Generally there is a one-generation initiation of exploitation for most new immigrant groups in America.
The thing to note is that white society did not learn its exploitation and oppression when they found black people. This has been the way of life for white civilizations in all the history that I have read. The elites exploit the masses. That is the history of their culture. Its a learned behavior. The term "slave" derived from the treatment of "slavic" peoples. The term "Barbarian" has its roots in Europe. So no one is ignorant of the fact that whites have been oppressed under the system of whites, in the absense of any other group to oppress. Their economic/political constructs were dependendent upon an oppressed class. So no one is arguing that whites have not been oppressed.
The thing is this. Whites did not pull themselves up by their bootstraps. If they had of done that, they would have done it in Europe. Instead, whites pulled themselves up by taking the land, resources and labor of people from other lands. They created essentially the same system that the fled from in Europe, one in which the aristocracy and monarchies oppressed the masses based upon "Class", and turned it into a system based upon "Race" in the new world. The English and the German were granted immediat privilege and status in the new world, but all other white nationalities had to go through a one generation intitiaion into "white privelege". Oppression was unsustainable because if an Irishman did not have an accent and he changed his last name....you could not identify him to discriminate against him. There were ways to avoid detection for white oppressed groups....but there was no way for non-whites to avoid detection. The only way discrimination can work is if the targeted group are easily identifiable. It would be like Northern blacks trying to discriminate against Southern blacks....but how could you tell where they were from if they had no accent or differnt names? It would be unsustainable. You need a non-removable BRAND for discrimination to be sustainable...which RACE offers.
No...that is not likely with a black president . However, anyone who has studied history knows that is is simply repeating cycles. Ultimately its an ECONOMIC issue at root. Oppression always is. The truth is that we are on the verge of an economic collapse....global. If or when that happens.....the deep ugliness in people will return as they get more and more desperate. The worst offenders will be the people used to having the most. They cycle can very easily repeat itself.
hussein obama is working hard to make us all slaves, including blacks.
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. However, anyone who has studied history knows that is is simply repeating cycles. Ultimately its an ECONOMIC issue at root. Oppression always is. The truth is that we are on the verge of an economic collapse....global. If or when that happens.....the deep ugliness in people will return as they get more and more desperate. The worst offenders will be the people used to having the most. They cycle can very easily repeat itself.
