WNYShooter Loc: WNY

Excerpt from the book: The Thomas Sowell Reader, by Thomas Sowell

https://books.google.com/books?id=Nfd2KKqZbNYC&pg=PT25&lpg=PT25&dq=Twisted+history+thomas+sowell&source=bl&ots=bTh0ZzXK5z&sig=ACfU3U1bcp5tCDgfMuHxjZRCl6aZEC71VA&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj4gPC0y7TiAhVFYKwKHa0SCZoQ6AEwCnoECBIQAQ#v=onepage&q=Twisted%20history%20thomas%20sowell&f=false

Chapter: “Twisted History”:

One of the reasons our children do not measure up academically to children in other countries is that so much time is spent in American classrooms twisting our history for ideological purposes.

"How would you feel if you were a Native American who saw the European invaders taking away your land?" is the kind of question our children are likely to be confronted with in our schools. It is a classic example of trying to look at the past with the assumptions -- and the ignorance -- of the present.

One of the things we take for granted today is that it is wrong to take other people's land by force. Neither American Indians nor the European invaders believed that.

Both took other people's land by force -- as did Asians, Africans and others. The Indians no doubt regretted losing so many battles. But that is wholly different from saying that they thought battles were the wrong way to settle ownership of land.

Today's child cannot possibly put himself or herself in the mindset of Indians centuries ago, without infinitely more knowledge of history than our schools have ever taught.

Nor is understanding history the purpose of such questions. The purpose is to score points against Western society. In short, propaganda has replaced education as the goal of too many "educators."

Schools are not the only institutions that twist history to score ideological points. "Never Forget That They Owned Lots of Slaves" is the huge headline across the front page of the New York Times' book review section in its December 14th issue. Inside is an indictment of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson.

Of all the tragic facts about the history of slavery, the most astonishing to an American today is that, although slavery was a worldwide institution for thousands of years, nowhere in the world was slavery a controversial issue prior to the 18th century.

People of every race and color were enslaved -- and enslaved others. White people were still being bought and sold as slaves in the Ottoman Empire, decades after American blacks were freed.

Everyone hated the idea of being a slave but few had any qualms about enslaving others. Slavery was just not an issue, not even among intellectuals, much less among political leaders, until the 18th century -- and then only in Western civilization.

Among those who turned against slavery in the 18th century were George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry and other American leaders. You could research all of 18th century Africa or Asia or the Middle East without finding any comparable rejection of slavery there.

But who is singled out for scathing criticism today? American leaders of the 18th century.

Deciding that slavery was wrong was much easier than deciding what to do with millions of people from another continent, of another race, and without any historical preparation for living as free citizens in a society like that of the United States, where they were 20 percent of the total population.

It is clear from the private correspondence of Washington, Jefferson, and many others that their moral rejection of slavery was unambiguous, but the practical question of what to do now had them baffled. That would remain so for more than half a century.

In 1862, a ship carrying slaves from Africa to America, in violation of a ban on the international slave trade, was captured. The crew were imprisoned and the captain was hanged in the United States -- despite the fact that slavery itself was still legal in both Africa and the U.S. at the time.

What does this tell us? That enslaving people was considered an abomination but what to do with millions of people who were already enslaved was not equally clear.

That question was finally answered by a war in which one life was lost for every six people freed. Maybe that was the only answer. But don't pretend today that it was an easy answer -- or that those who grappled with the dilemma in the 18th century were some special villains, when most leaders and most people around the world at that time saw nothing wrong with slavery.

Incidentally, the September issue of National Geographic had an article about the millions of people enslaved around the world right now. But where is the moral indignation about that?

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

Tex-s

Apparently the woke-scold leftist are not willing to slander a black man of such intellect. Their silence here is deafening, but let me falsely attribute this article to, maybe, Mike Pence or (gasp) Dinesh D'Souza, and let's just watch the pandemonium, name-calling, rationalization and counter-claims.

Give me 6 weeks and I'll repost with an fraudulent citation. LOL

jeep_daddy Loc: Prescott AZ

There were african slaves in the UK much longer than there were slaves in America. They didn't abolish slavery until 1833

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abolitionism_in_the_United_Kingdom

My point is that it's isn't talked about much there, but slavery her in America was and is still a very hot topic. There's no doubt that there are prejudice people in the UK as there are everywhere. White people were enslaved as long if not longer others. It's only in western cultures that it's frowned upon today. There are still slaves in other cultures and nobody is talking about that. It's been happening for so long I am beginning to wonder if it will ever be abolished worldwide. Wishful thinking I guess.

idaholover Loc: Nampa ID

That man has a beautiful mind!

dennis2146 Loc: Eastern Idaho

Thanks for the post. I really enjoyed reading it. I truly believe that racism in America could have been long gone years ago except the issue of slavery, some 150 years in the past keeps coming up as a reason black people have been kept down economically. Apparently people forget that blacks themselves were some of the South's biggest slave holders. Blacks sold each other in America. This has never been a totally white against black issue in America but also a black upon black problem as well. Whites did not capture black slaves in Africa. Black people captured other black people and then sold them as slaves to whites. Yet it is the whites who catch ALL of the blame these days.

Militant blacks want reparations today for the slaves of 150 years ago. Hell, I want reparations for the 600,00+ white people who fought and died to end slavery back during the Civil War. Somebody send me a check for thousands of dollars.

My personal feeling is that we need to end racism ASAP and the best way to do that is for everyone, black and white to move on, stop bringing up the past, actually, far far distant past. Everyone in America is free and welcome to be all they want to be by getting an education and working hard to get ahead. That is a common denominator for each of us no matter our color or beliefs. We need to work hard to get ahead. The opportunity is there for all of us.

Dennis

idaholover Loc: Nampa ID

dennis2146 Loc: Eastern Idaho

Thanks my friend.

Dennis

Angmo

Lefties are evil. They’ve been rewriting history, lying in books and hiding truth and fact. So, when you know the truth and share it - lefties, who are totally unfamiliar with truth and facts go ballistic.

They cant settle down and realize they’ve been duped by other lefties.

We see them is irrational, they assume they are correct. Useful idiots indoctrinated into evil. Same thing nazi Germany did. Follow american leftie strategy.

dennis2146 Loc: Eastern Idaho

Speaking of useful idiots, I wonder whatever happened to Cindy Sheehan. Didn't she marry Al Sharpton or something?

Dennis

Angmo

Lol

She did go nuts as lefties are known to do. She did try to take Piglosi’s seat in Congress though - for not impeaching Bush.

boberic Loc: Quiet Corner, Connecticut. Ex long Islander

With regard to reparations of black slavery. I think that every black has ben held as a slave deserves some kind of payment for his inhumane taretment

Angmo

Any living? Other than todays dem enclaves

soba1 Loc: Somewhere In So Ca

Good article and yes slavery still exists in many form especially human trafficking for sex and exploitation of children. It’s not talked about and never will be. People who value the same things that should be a bond. Yes blacks and whites might have issues but if we remember what we value and realize our long history and our cultures are intertwined. It might help

dennis2146 Loc: Eastern Idaho

And I would totally disagree. Maybe the reparation payments have already come in the literally Trillions of dollars America has spent to bring these people up to the standards of regular hard working Americans who have had absolutely no help from the government, such as probably you and me and millions of others. You remember, those of us who have worked our way through school, including high school, while many millions of black families have spent the same number of years on the welfare roles, have gotten appointments to some of our finest universities and colleges over hard working white, Oriental and other students, only because of the color of their skin. No, that is where the reparations have come from.

How about reparations for white people who have relatives, over 600,000 who gave their lives to free the black man from slavery, all of this over 150 years ago. What about those people? What about the early American Irish who were also held as slaves to employers? Do we give them reparations too? How about every Liberal vagina wearing snowflake who whined and bitched uncontrollably because their little Queen, Hillary lost the election to President Trump. OMG the suffering they must have, and still are enduring, the booming economy, growth of American jobs for everyone what wants to work and so on. God, it must be tough.

If you have not guessed by now I am against any kind of reparations for anybody especially those who had relatives suffer over 150 years ago. What next, reparations for Japanese people who may have had uncles, aunts, brothers, sisters distant baby sitters and so on who were interned during WW2? When does it end?

Black people have had 150 years to lift themselves up out of poverty with tax payer help. That is enough.

Of course I would agree with your strict sentence that every black that has been held as a slave be entitled to something.

Dennis