There are a few things you probably didn’t know about slavery.
But you are about to find out everything. As activists all around the United States continue to demand an end to police brutality and racial injustice, many institutions are confronting their own racist pasts.
People began removing Confederate flags and memorials across the southern part of the country in 2020. They also requested that racist marketing characters like Uncle Ben and Aunt Jemima be updated or retired by companies like Mars and Quaker Oats. And well-known bands that were once known as Lady Antebellum and The Dixie Chicks are now known simply as Lady A and The Chicks.
It’s hard to erase all traces of a country’s tragic past, especially one in which African slaves played such a crucial role in the country’s ascent to global prominence. Everything from the US Capitol to American liquor bears the scars of slavery.
It might be hard to digest this type of info, but it’s part of our nation’s history, so we have to be aware of it. Aside from that, it’s our responsibility to understand history and do everything we can to avoid repeating it.
Without further ado, here are 5 organizations whose roots might be traced back to slavery that you probably didn’t know about.
29 Responses
The Democrat Party is strongly connected to slavery.
So is the Republican party. President Lincoln, a Republican, did not support the spread of slavery and did nothing to end it in the areas controlled by the Union like the border states. Both parties are guilty.
The Democratic Party of today bears no resemblance to the Democratic Party of the 1800’s. Today it would be totally opposed to slavery.
True. However, in 50’s and 60’s all the white racist Democrats became Republicans. Not all Republicans are racist but all American white racist vote Republican now!
People sooo disturbed by the PAST practice of slavery and demanded that those with a history of participating in this awful practice be penalized. Need to look at the slavery that occurs TODAY. I think that instead of complaining about a common practice from history; we need to eliminate this barbaric practice from occurring in our communities NOW. People from many countries, for many reasons, are being enslaved by many different people throughout the world.
Why is it that this country is the only one that slavery is blamed on? Check your history. Slavery was prevalent in biblical times, The Egyptians held Israelites as slaves, Irishmen were held as slaves, and the Roman and Ottoman Empires had slaves. Chinese immigrants were enslaved to build the East-West railway. If you remember your world history (if taught) African Cheifs sold their people to British slave traders. So who are you to direct this topic and hand-pick companies and label them as racists or being involved in slavery??
Americans are still enslaved to low wages, no insurance benefits, and ridiculous housing prices…along with the high cost of education which can impede knowledge, wisdom, sociological imagination and critical thinking skills which could offset poverty, as well as laziness and ignorance.
Why doesn’t your historical files article not focus on the U.S. Federal and States role in supporting and leading slavery throughout our history?
Why single out 5 random companies as being racist and supporting slavery, but not our government?
Better yet, why don’t we just all move on.
I wish these folks had picked their own crops, built their structures with only American workers, and did not engage with the Jewish Slave Traders of Holland, the Bankers like Goldman-Sachs, Lehmen Brothers, and the Planters in the West Indies who were using Irish prisoners for hard labor…they could not take the heat and humidity and thus the Jewish Planters replaced them with African Slaves that were being bought-and-sold by the Arabs. The poor devils would still be therein had they not brought them into America. But they are here now. Darwin marveled at the fact that not a single Black African ever built a boat and “explored” the outside World. Had the good-hearted Jewish Slave Traders not brought them here, they would still be happy and content living in tribal Africa–amazing.
What History book are you getting this propaganda from? There was never a Paradise in Africa. African cultures started to develop , but chose Tribalism as a form of Organization. The African Cultures started Slavery long before the European’s ever were engaged with them. Interestingly your Prejudicial point of view points out only one small group in Europe that was engaged in Slavery, ignoring the major role all the other groups controlling it played. What the world needs now is Unity, not antiquated scapegoating. All groups can find a period of time in the past that their group was treated badly. We don’t live in the past, and may not live to see a future with that type of backward name blaming. Why are so many cultures demanding to get into America, and some European Countries today? Could it be the Cultures that they came from are unbearable, because it lives in the past, rather them taking advantage of the present benefits the West can offer, if accepted. Your thinking is archaic, destructive and will not produce the World you seem to think is being deprived from others. If there is a future , the historians will write about the divergence in people’s beliefs. Those that look forward to a Unified democratic free one, or the tribalism that replaced it!
most of this I knew, but found the article on Washington very interesting.
Why is it that this country is the only one that slavery is blamed on? Check your history. Slavery was prevalent in biblical times, The Egyptians held Israelites as slaves, Irishmen were held as slaves, and the Roman and Ottoman Empires had slaves. Chinese immigrants were enslaved to build the East-West railway. If you remember your world history (if taught) African Cheifs sold their people to British slave traders. So who are you to direct this topic and hand-pick companies and label them as racists or being involved in slavery??
Normally I don’t learn article on blogs, however I would like to say that this write-up very pressured me to try and do it! Your writing taste has been amazed me. Thanks, quite nice article.
Why is it that this country is the only one that slavery is blamed on? Check your history. Slavery was prevalent in biblical times, The Egyptians held Israelites as slaves, Irishmen were held as slaves, and the Roman and Ottoman Empires had slaves. Chinese immigrants were enslaved to build the East-West railway. If you remember your world history (if taught) African Cheifs sold their people to British slave traders. So who are you to direct this topic and hand-pick companies and label them as racists or being involved in slavery??
Slavery has been practiced since the beginning of time. You can find reference to it in religious
books of every religion on the planet. It is still practiced and approved in many countries in this
“enlightened” period of history. You cannot erase the stain it has left on history nor can you pay
your way out of it. People of every Race, Color, Creed have practiced this at one time or another.
But most important it is still practiced today. Conditions might have improved somewhat but
the fact remains it is still with us. No matter how many markers or symbolJames Maxwellk related to slavery
it continue to exist and only the preying of individuals for personal gain keep it alive in the minds
of othersl
When One speaks of slavery, they seem to leave a particular group out, the white indentured servant.
Both start with an S though servant and slave have completely different meanings and indentured means service for a specified time
The gaggle of leftist Jew-baiters hiding behind the “antizionism” shield will no doubt accuse Yale of being Jewish as well as a slave trader (neither of which is true)
For a good, albeit romanticized vision of “BACKSTAIRS at the WHITEHOUSE”, may I suggest your readers take another look at the 1979 9-hour miniseries of the same name. It follows the lives of Maggie Rogers & daughter Lillian Rogers Parks, who worked there from the Taft Administration thru the end of the Eisenhower years in 1960; has an all star cast for each change of President and spouse; and stars Olivia Cole & Leslie Uggams as mom and daughter.
Most Americans black and white ASSUMED that the White House and the Capital were built by Whites. This is true in all schools. Growing up in the fifties the only noble Blacks were George Wahington Carver and Booker T Washington. Whites in segregated schools were not taught of the many inventions by Black Americans, if a thing was mentioned, it was assumed by both Whites and Blacks, it was invented by Whites. Even today still contributions by Blacks in the USA are still Hidden. Slowly young black historians are correcting the lies and revealing the many great contributions made by Blacks from the day they invented the cotton gin to the very present contributions on the internet and books. White Christion theologians/scholars still TODAY teach the bible from a white perspective as 99.8% in the Bible are white.
As a Black African American and past NAACP president in two states, leave the school’s name Yale permanent. I’m against
monuments and statues of racist white Americans on public land, place them in the libraries or in museums, it is history. I’m against them being destroyed. The Yale university policies to my knowledge are not racist. Jesse Kelly should work to get ALL black students registered to vote, and vote in ALL local and state elections.
The slave trade started in Africa by black slave traders. One of the largest plantations in America was owned by a black slave owner. The democrats owned plenty of slaves during the 1700-1800. You cannot erase history.
I wonder what information is available about indentured servants. Who bought and used them, were they black and British, English or African? Just amazed that all the other peoples that were enslaved are glossed over and forgotten.
The poorest people have always been slaves throughout history. African people were the biggest slave traders. Most of that trade was within their own country in the 1700&1800’s. The so called “Civil” world took advantage of the opportunity and went to Africa and bought African slaves from African citizens. There have always been slaves. There are millions of slaves now in every country in the world. The middle east, India, Malaysia, North Korea, Indonesia, Russia and China are among the worst offenders.
God Bless the USA each and everyday there are those that take their freedoms for granted !
WHAT’S THE DEAL WITH BCE AND CE? IS IT THE CHRISTIAN ERA OR CHRIST’S ERA? HOW IS THIS BETTER THAN BC/AD?
Looks like Jack Daniel employed and respected Mr. Green, hardly the disparaging impression given in the lead.
Slavery was widely used by many cultures and countries at least as early as the Roman Empire and the Han Dynasty in China. People were enslaved in many places. Usually they were enslaved after being captured in wars. For those interested in the topic there are academic monographs on slavery available. Perhaps a search of Wikipedia on the topic would be a good starting point.
African warlords captured other Africans and enslaved them. They then sold them to many buyers worldwide including Arabs, Romans, Chinese buyers to name a few. Demand for slaves spiked after the discovery of the “New World” as indigenous natives refused to work for Europeans. All of the Imperialist Empires needed and bought slaves for laborers. Including the Vikings and other groups.
British Colonials began importing black slaves for their 13 Colonies in North America. Slavery in the Russian Empire flourished. The slaves there were called serfs. Serfs were also tied to the land.