Friday, March 9, 2012

The Neo-Slavery From Reconstruction On . . . . . A Dirty American Secret

In Slavery by Another Name, Douglas Blackmon of the Wall Street Journal argues that slavery did not end in the United States with the Emancipation Proclamation in 1862. He writes that it continued for another 80 years, in what he calls an "Age of Neoslavery."  
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Often the tale of a people’s history is narrated in the light of their darkest hours; the grim realities casting shadows over moments of accomplishment, enthusiastic revival and a pediment of the achieved. More so however, and all too often, the deepest and darkest aspects are hidden within this shadow, or by an outside force such as Reconstructionist Era America, and into the twentieth century as industrialization masked beyond the depression the neo-slavery of the countries black population.



The full documentary based on the book may be viewed @ pbs.org -


To carry the burden into modernity, the people of America must recognize the injustice that has reigned from inception to this day. The story of slavery is still unfolding, still being told and maintains deep rooted in the psyche of American culture; a fact that to deny would be a abashment of centuries - not decades - of struggle and reform efforts. What we see today in society, this global recognition for liberty, justice and happiness, has oft been denied here - In The United States - to those of different race, origin, creed, religion, political ideology and gender. We have used Constitutional Laws, as well as fear, hatred, bigoted propaganda and social order to subjugate, mandate, intimidated, and enslave whole groups of people, most of all citizens.
While this may not be entirely unknown to the vast majority of people today, the extend that it occurred, that is still occurs, seems to fall short to their knowledge. An awareness to the plight of a race, the human race, is lacking - for each of us, enslaved by virtue or not, is tainted by what we do to each other. Ignorance is not an excuse.
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