Blacks in Africa owned slaves just as they did in America. But the truth is hidden by those with agendas.
Black Slave Owners
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DIXIE'S CENSORED SUBJECT
BLACK SLAVEOWNERS
In an 1856 letter to his wife Mary Custis Lee, Robert E. Lee called slavery "a moral and political evil." Yet he concluded that black slaves were immeasurably better off here than in Africa, morally, socially and physically.The fact is large numbers of free Negroes owned black slaves; in fact, in numbers disproportionate to their representation in society at large. In 1860 only a small minority of whites owned slaves......... To return to the census figures quoted above, this 28 percent is certainly impressive when compared to less than 1.4 percent of all American whites and less than 4.8 percent of southern whites. The statistics show that, when free, blacks disproportionately became slave masters.......
The American South had been undergoing structural evolutionary changes far, far greater than generations of Americans have been led to believe. In time, within a relatively short time, the obsolete and economically nonviable institution of slavery would have disappeared. The nation would have been spared awesome traumas from which it would never fully recover.
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The truth has its uses. Lies are weapons too. This comes across as honest writing. It is backed by sources.
Your Views, Asbury Park Press
I read with interest the article entitled "Lawsuit seeking slave reparations planned", but was disappointed in not finding any mention of free blacks who owned slaves. This subject was mentioned in AMERICAN HERITAGE, Feb./Mar. 1993 (vol. 441) under the title Selling Poor Steven beginning on page 90. Citing the official US Census of 1830, there were 3,775 free blacks who owned 12,740 black slaves. Furthermore, the story outlines the history of slavery here, and the first slave owner, the Father of American Slavery, was Mr. Anthony Johnson, of Northampton VA. His slave was John Casor, the first slave for life. Both were black Africans. This is part of Virginia's history that deserves attention.The story is very readable, and outlines cases of free black women owning their husbands, free black parents selling their children into slavery to white owners, and absentee free black slave owners, who leased their slaves to plantation owners, among other things. Most libraries carry back issues of American Heritage.
Another interesting book on the same subject is Free Negro Owners of Slaves in the United States in 1830, by the noted black historian, Carter G. Woodson. This book lists the names and address of free blacks who owned slaves. Among them is one George C. Washington of Washington DC.
How will it be determined who is descended from the black slave owners? Are descendents of free black slave owners to be included in this lawsuit? Will any consideration be given to the fact that African Americans today are far better off than practically all the blacks still in Africa?