Loca Lingo Multicultural

Literature (and furthermore the copyleft one:-) is a richful nest of indications concerning collective memory. On our previous article (Black.white. pressreview), one word struck me ; “slavery”.

Hereunder is the preface of “Thoughts on slavery”, a poem by Lewis Stevens (1854). A quite representative piece of work. You can read the entire poem here.

In 1865, the Thirteenth Amendment marked the abolition of slavery in the USA (end of the American Civil War) - more about slavery history here. The first black students attended university in the US from the mid 50’s to the early 60’s (Mississippi, Alabama, South) - read this…

“In writing the following lines, we have considered man entitled to his equal and inalienable rights, and slavery as conflicting with all of these rights. We say all, for it leaves him nothing but to breathe, and that only for the profit of the master. And that on Christian principles, no one nation or legislative body has a right to convert the people of another nation, or any part of its own, into goods or chattels, or reduce them to any servitude on any other ground than by civil contract. But so far as moral right is concerned, the system of American Slavery would make a Washington or a Kossuth a slave, just as quick as its present subjects. And in this position we are fully borne out by its present usages: for how many slave have one-half, three-fourths, or nine-tenths American blood; nay, how many fathers hold their children, brothers, their brothers, and perhaps their sisters in slavery. Climax of abominations!

It is said that by particular providence they are here. Yes, by a particular providence they were stolen from Africa, cramed into ships holes where many of them suffocated and died. By a particular providence they who lived were reduced to bondage, instead of being freed as they should have been. And by a particular providence, under the influence of chains, slave-jobs, whips, pistols, dirks, dogs, guns and all the civil authorities of the nation from the lowest up to our mighty Congress, they have been crushed, degraded and deprived of all privileges that belong to men as rational and accountable beings. And by a particular providence we believe we shall meet with the awful retributions of Heaven, unless we avert them by repentence and thorough reformation, that is, free them, civilize them, educate them, ellivate them. Make men of them, for they are men, and have the rights of men.”

LEWIS STEVENS