Letter from freed slave to former master draws attention

Originally posted by rubbertramp

Originally posted by Patchman
Already posted. C'mon greenhorns learn to not double post please!

where?
i searched both headlines.
i searched the entire first paragraph along with a few other quotes.
the only thing showing up is this post.

eta, can a mod or somebody help me with this.
i still can't find the post patchman mentioned.
what am i doing worng?

edit on 1-2-2012 by rubbertramp because: (no reason given)

my bad, I read this on Godlikeproductions.com a few days ago.. lol

That really was a truely fantastic letter, not sure his back wages calculations would be correct given that surely his wages would have been much lower at that start of his 30 years, but still very good all the same. It a shame people were treated like that back then, but at least things have and continue to move forward.

Originally posted by lonewolf19792000

Originally posted by Orwells Ghost
reply to post by lonewolf19792000

 

That's called "comeuppance".

No it's called legalized thievery, robbery and murder. In those days they didn't have laws against that like we do now.

Thievery? Murder? Immoral, heinous things for which there is no room in civilized society. Much like forcible confinement; or compelling one to provide labour without compensation; or treating a person as chattel and causing them injury or death if they are not compliant. How about growing wealthy on someone else's sweat and tears? Selling their children?

How can one lay claim to something born from the labours of another? How does one bear a grievance over having that which they have stolen taken from them? Why should I feel pity for those who have created their own sorrows? The only thing that should have you upset about a post-emancipation plantation owner's lot in life is that it took so long for them to get what was coming to them.

reply to post by anthonygillespie2012

How racism is terrible. Even Africa is now invaded by Chinese, they are deciding by planning to bring 500 million Chinese to Africa to reduce pullution /population problems. There are now gated community's in Africa with Chinese food that disallows blacks to eat at, black community's have even been killed over the takeover.

Wow. Could you provide me with some links in regards to this subject.

I understand that China has a development scheme in Angola, in trade for the vital commodity oil which Angola has so much of. I also know that this has caused alot of contreversy as much of the population has been displaced to build apratment complexes which they cannot afford to purchase or rent. I also understand that there was alot of problems with Chinese construction, becuase it at times was inadequete and failed safety standards and because many Chinese were employed instead of the unemployed and poor Angolans. However I am yet to hear of any segregation or attacks, which is something the corrupt government in Angola shouldn't tolerate.

reply to post by FraternitasSaturni


Wow...just wow. Here is an amazing find illuminating the mind of a man long since turned to dust...and you find a way to do some racist gobbledegook?

Read some Fredrick Douglas to see how an ex-slave could write.

This is a great post/story and I truly feel for the man, but all of the things that make it into the mainstream media, and all the things that don't, I feel this is just more race card divide and conquer crap.


U

reply to post by rubbertramp


Forgive me, but I just don't believe this without more background information. We are allowed to be skeptical here, I hope.

Maybe we didn't write the letter. Maybe he conveyed his ideas to someone else who then wrote the letter? Or, it was edited? This looks like it was written by someone who could serve as an editor for a newspaper or magazine; it's that good. I suppose he could have learned this skill, but that just doesn't seem likely at all to me. An intellectual slave? I can't even imagine intellectual white folk living around in the south.

It would take a lot of reading of books on up to at least the high school level to be able to write that letter. Possible. It just seems amazing to me, and a bit unbelievable.

Where's the picture of the actual letter, I'm wondering...

If he did write that letter, perhaps he developed an education from when he was a slave by watching and learning what the kids were learning? Or could he of gotten himself an education when he was freed? In any event, it was well written and the old slave owner got "owned" LoL

I don't know why folk are so skeptical about this man's letter. There was a huge movement to help these people escape their bondage and a lot of these charitable folks were very educated people. This is probably one letter amongst dozens like it.

Most likely someone else wrote the letter for him and chose the correct wordings to make him sound more educated. Don't people do that today? I had a friend in jail who used to write everyone's letters to girlfriends because they couldn't even hold a pen, most of them.

Anyway, great letter, I especially like the bit where he's counted up 30+ years of unpaid wages and asks for them. Subtly and politely stressing the point that his life was extremely unfair and in other words saying, YOU OWE ME, AND YOU KNOW IT!

reply to post by wigit


Here in Europe, we never had that habit of "paying slaves"... they were slaves, not employees.

Originally posted by lonewolf19792000

Originally posted by subject x
You have to wonder...if he'd gotten the money, would he have actually gone back?
$10,000 went a long, long way back then.

I know I wouldn't.

Incase you failed to read history, anyone that was a southern plantation owner that could afford slaves went bankrupt and their homes and land burned to the ground. Those land owners didn't have a pot to piss in or a window to throw it out of after the yanks were done with them, many of their wives were raped and murdered to add further injury to the insult and unjury they already sustained.

I never knew that. We were never taught that at school. Then again I do live in the UK.

Anyway, I like to learn, so I am now going to read up on all this. Thanks for the insight.

Great post OP

Originally posted by Orwells Ghost

Originally posted by lonewolf19792000

Originally posted by Orwells Ghost
reply to post by lonewolf19792000

 

That's called "comeuppance".

No it's called legalized thievery, robbery and murder. In those days they didn't have laws against that like we do now.

Thievery? Murder? Immoral, heinous things for which there is no room in civilized society. Much like forcible confinement; or compelling one to provide labour without compensation; or treating a person as chattel and causing them injury or death if they are not compliant. How about growing wealthy on someone else's sweat and tears? Selling their children?

How can one lay claim to something born from the labours of another? How does one bear a grievance over having that which they have stolen taken from them? Why should I feel pity for those who have created their own sorrows? The only thing that should have you upset about a post-emancipation plantation owner's lot in life is that it took so long for them to get what was coming to them.

edit on 1-2-2012 by Orwells Ghost because: (no reason given)

History is full of it bro, and it was completely ok back then. Youre trying to cast judgement upon people from another time period and the rules of today did not apply back then. Different times have different standards. Having slaves from 8,000 years ago up till today is completely ok because people are still doing it. The only difference is the slave trade went from being a specific ethnicity to being people of all ethnicities. Ever hear of the sex slave trade? There's all kinds of slaves today and the governments of the world turn a blind eye to it. Even the drug lords have their slaves they use to harvest and create their profane concoctions. Spare me your self righteous mumbo jumbo. I am not saying i agree with this but it's still going on nevertheless. If modern society was really all that concerned with ending slavery it would have done so by now, the fact that it has not stands as testement that the world does not care.

Originally posted by lonewolf19792000

Originally posted by Orwells Ghost

Originally posted by lonewolf19792000

Originally posted by Orwells Ghost
reply to post by lonewolf19792000

 

That's called "comeuppance".

No it's called legalized thievery, robbery and murder. In those days they didn't have laws against that like we do now.

Thievery? Murder? Immoral, heinous things for which there is no room in civilized society. Much like forcible confinement; or compelling one to provide labour without compensation; or treating a person as chattel and causing them injury or death if they are not compliant. How about growing wealthy on someone else's sweat and tears? Selling their children?

How can one lay claim to something born from the labours of another? How does one bear a grievance over having that which they have stolen taken from them? Why should I feel pity for those who have created their own sorrows? The only thing that should have you upset about a post-emancipation plantation owner's lot in life is that it took so long for them to get what was coming to them.

edit on 1-2-2012 by Orwells Ghost because: (no reason given)

History is full of it bro, and it was completely ok back then. Youre trying to cast judgement upon people from another time period and the rules of today did not apply back then. Different times have different standards. Having slaves from 8,000 years ago up till today is completely ok because people are still doing it. The only difference is the slave trade went from being a specific ethnicity to being people of all ethnicities. Ever hear of the sex slave trade? There's all kinds of slaves today and the governments of the world turn a blind eye to it. Even the drug lords have their slaves they use to harvest and create their profane concoctions. Spare me your self righteous mumbo jumbo. I am not saying i agree with this but it's still going on nevertheless. If modern society was really all that concerned with ending slavery it would have done so by now, the fact that it has not stands as testement that the world does not care.

Sadly, I must agree with a lot of you're observations, though I cannot ascribe to the moral relativism that says "different times, different rules". I hardly think it's righteous mumbo-jumbo. People have always known that slavery and murder were reprehensible, but we just find it easier to take the path of least resistance, going along with whatever broader society does to get ahead, morality and ethics be damned. It's much the same thing in the financial world, which espouses a form of financial slavery through fiat debt and usury; terrible things that are very obviously wrong, but most all of us partake in the name of personal gain. Will future generations feel pity for our suffering when this world of our creation collapses around us? Should they?

Originally posted by 1ncegreat
reply to post by FraternitasSaturni

 

You know i find it interesting how people such as yourself are so against him writing the letter. .

He didn't say that he was against the ex-slave writing the letter. He said he wasn't sure if it was real.
BIG DIFFERENCE.

How sure are we that this is a authentic? If it is ... that's awesome. I love it.
But the 'ex-slave' sounds a lot like someone from 2012 writing to prove a point.
He doesn't sound like someone who has suffered at the hands of a 'master'.
People coming out of a situation like the 'ex-slave' would be angry, but they also
would have psychological issues to deal with. They'd be scared to 'get in your face'
with an ex-master. And then there is the matter of an ex-slave being able to
read and write so well. Sure some could ... but most could not.

Anyone here able to authenticate this in some way?
It would be cool if it's real. But I'm with FraternitasSaturni on wondering about if it's real ...