Fri, 27 Feb 1998 17:22:32 EST
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One reason it is so hard interpret slave history is because unlike the
Holucaust, we were not there to witness it. At least with the Holocaust,
there are photographs, film footage, and personal accounts. This is not the
case with slavery. We know that millions of Africans died during the Middle
Passage but we don't know who these people were. We don't know what part of
Africa they came from or their names, ages or sex.
We only know what little evidence was left. We only know what the people of
that time thought we should know and were capable of telling. Remember many
slaves were not allowed to be educated, so we know very little about their
thoughts and lives.
The real question is where do we start? How do we intergrate slavery into
AMERICAN HISTORY? Are there really enough people out there that care? Are
there enough parents willing to insist that AMERICAN HISTORY include ALL
people who lived and worked in AMERICA instead of continuing to preach about
a select few?
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