Early American History

One of the saddest things I have seen in this Country is the attempt to deny the history of slavery in America. Slavery was (and still is in some places) a common practice among peoples, not just in America. Every story needs a good and a bad, a hero an enemy and that's what makes this story so great! American Slavery is a story about people coming together like they have no other place else in the world! America set the standard and changed black history forever. What blacks have achieved in America is outstanding and I think that by pretending it never happened, we forget a great part of American history (for ALL races) and we don't do justice to the silent many that helped make this Country what it is today. We celebrate only a few, well-known blacks and none of the Chinese (who were also slaves and who contributed some outstanding influence on this Country as well!!). There is a real, dynamic, fascinating, nostalgic look at a collection of people who integrated, collaborated, developed and grew TOGETHER!

I just don't see why anyone thinks it's a good idea to pretend this era never took place. I used to have a book that had the story of Little Black Sambo in it and the story was quite amazing, not insulting at all! The boy tricked a tiger and ran him around a tree until he turned to butter! He was crafty and intelligent and I think for its time, was inspirational for a young black child in those times. I don't think the story was insulting at all. Yes, there are references in the old stories, like Song of the South that seem disrespectful but in THOSE times, even blacks referred to themselves in those terms. That's just the way things were at that time! How do I know?? I spent a good part of my life back East and met several blacks in Louisiana, Mississippi, Georgia and Tennessee who WERE slaves when they were very young. Or they remembered the times. Guess what? Not all of them looked back with bad memories! These are peoples' lives and although they were suppressed in some ways, they had each other and there was love and that's what really mattered! There are memories of playing in the creek, fishing or working together. Maybe those memories don't seem so great to us, but they matter to the people who lived them!

These people who have been through so much were some of the best Human Beings I have ever met, would do anything to help anyone and I cherished the opportunity to know these people. These are true Americans!

I find it insulting that a select few people think they can decide that people like this -what they did, how they lived and the events which changed the world forever should secretly go passing by like it never happened. The thing with Americans is that we are chicken shits and afraid to admit that we are all Human Beings - ALL Human Beings make mistakes, we all have made bad choices as individuals, as individual races, as communities. Why should our bad choices lessen the contributions of the slaves of America?? I just don't see how that benefits anyone! Personally, I feel its righteous for Americans to think they can just sweep their dirt under some carpet and pretend they never made mistakes. Early American history is hidden, contaminated and presented in however the politics of the day see it and I am quiet sad by that!

-Fish