Positive Residual Benefits from Slavery!

The allegation is made that present day America has benefited greatly from the slavery of 150 years ago, and consequently it is only reasonable that we should pay the descendants of those who “built this nation.” Hold it. If that is true, then how can one say that only white Americans have benefited? Haven’t blacks also benefited? After all, American Blacks, as a group, have more money than many of the nations of the world! According to David Horowitz, their income is up to fifty times more than that of Blacks “living in any of the African nations from which they were kidnapped.” So if present-day Whites have benefited from slavery, so have present-day Blacks.

American Blacks had and have incredible opportunities to be successful in our nation for which I am grateful; they have opportunities they would not have had in Africa. It is also a fact that the poorest Black in the roughest U.S. ghetto is many times better off than those Blacks living in totalitarian “nations” in Africa. In fact, if I were a Black, I would thank God that my ancestors were brought here so I would have the privilege to live in such a free country where I had the opportunity to hear the Gospel of Christ instead of living in constant fear of pagan gods, pandemic diseases, predator animals, tribal wars, starvation, cannibals, etc. While the slave trade was horrific and all connected to it were incredible criminals, there are some positive residual effects for which I would be thankful if I were black.

My boyhood hero Booker T. Washington wrote in Up From Slavery, “Then, when we rid ourselves of prejudice, or racial feeling, and look facts in the face, we must acknowledge that, notwithstanding the cruelty and moral wrong of slavery, the ten million Negroes inhabiting this country, who themselves or whose ancestors went through the school of American slavery, are in a stronger and more hopeful condition, materially, intellectually, morally, and religiously, than is true of an equal number of black people in any other portion of the globe.”

Even Cassis Clay, better known as Muhammad Ali, who fought George Foreman in Zaire for the world heavyweight boxing title realized his advantages because his ancestors were brought to America. Ali won the fight, and upon returning to the United States, he was asked by a reporter, “Champ, what did you think of Africa?” Ali replied, “Thank God my granddaddy got on that boat!” Only a fool, a fanatic, or falsifier would disagree.

While we must never slip into the darkness of defending slavery, we must also not veer into the academic crime of inventing history or not revealing the totality of an issue for fear of being thought infamous, incompetent, or ignorant.

It is a fact that the Romans conquered Great Britain (then a gaggle of uncivilized tribes) at an enormous price in savagery; but the basic infrastructure, the foundation for law, and technology that they left behind had much to do with Britain becoming a world-girdling empire upon which it was said, “The sun never sets.”

Julius Caesar invaded Great Britain in 55 and 54 B.C. and installed a local boy as king who was responsible to Rome. Rome permitted the locals to take care of Rome’s business. The empire was ruled from the towns where councils formed of local citizens were responsible for tax-collection and keeping order in the surrounding countryside. It was a masterful plan that worked well for everyone. A great nation was in the making.

While the victims of Roman invasion could not have seen anything positive in the Roman invasion of Great Britain, the present generation would be dishonest or uninformed if the many positive residual benefits were not recognized. The crude villages became replicas of Roman towns with market squares, temples, bathhouses, shopping malls, and hotels. Caesar was very wise to not position foreign overlords to administrate the towns and collect taxes but permitted the locals to rule for them. Everyone was happy as Britain rather quickly morphed into a miniaturized Rome. But Rome was crumbling and under constant attack from pagan tribes and the emperor left Roman soldiers stationed in Britain to fend for themselves. By mid-fifth century, the Roman influence had almost disappeared as the soldiers (not getting paid from Rome) became farmers, laborers, outlaws, and vagabonds in far-away England.

Rome left its mark on Great Britain using their troops (occupied in fighting only 10% of the time) to build water systems, sewage, and sanitation systems, beacons, canals, ports, aqueducts, walls, bridges and roads which are legendary–some even being used today! Even with that, the major contribution of Rome on England was the extent which Roman law played in the development of common law of England and consequently in the United States.

For an Englishman to say that he owes nothing or very little to the Roman invaders (or that they owe him) is foolish and not factual. And for modern Blacks not to recognize that there were major residual effects from slavery is not factual but foolishness and false and has the earmarks of fanaticism.

While no sane person defends slavery, all honest people recognize that modern Blacks are far better off than their ancestors who sat around camp fires with a lifetime threat from cannibals, hunger, pagan religion, and often rival chieftains and slavers.

Yes, Muhammad Ali was right to be delighted his granddaddy “didn’t miss that boat.” Being a rich World Champion boxer was better than sitting around a jungle campfire swatting mosquitos and cuddling with a cobra in a thatched hut.

Boys’ new book Muslim Invasion: The Fuse is Burning! was published recently by Barbwire Books; to get your copy, click here. An eBook edition is also available.

EVOLUTION

Fact, Fraud or Faith?

by Don Boys, Ph.D.

Only an uninformed fanatic says that evolution or creation can be proved scientifically. Christians believe in creationism because we believe in the veracity of the Bible but we also have scientific evidence to support our position. In every debate I’ve had with evolutionary scientists, the arrogant, asinine accusation is made, “Well, evolution is scientific while creationism is religion.” Evolution is about as scientific as a voodoo rooster plucking ceremony in Haiti. Almost.

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