Bush: Slavery one of history's greatest crimes

Mercury News ^ | 7/8/03 | Tom Raum - AP

[NormsRevenge]

GOREE ISLAND, Senegal - American slavery was one of history's greatest crimes, President Bush said Tuesday at the very spot where hundreds of thousands of Africans were bought and sold like cargo.

Embarking on a five-nation tour of Africa, Bush also edged toward sending U.S. troops to help end a three-year civil war in Liberia, a western African nation founded by freed American slaves.

[NormsRevenge]

Just a note.. a simliar article was posted earlier today here titled "Bush Calls Slavery Historic 'Great Crime'" posted from ABC News and AP per poster.

The mUrky News has the article I am posting titled "Bush: Slavery one of history's greatest crimes" on their online front webpage, but on the linked page, title it "Bush Nears Decision on Troops for Liberia " which may be the original AP title per the writer or editor, or not.

I don't know that this is anything to make much out of, but, thought you would like to know.

President Bush peers through "The Door of No Return", where slaves are said to have passed through to board ships taking them to the Americas and the Carribean, while touring the Slave House on Goree Island, Senegal. CHARLES DHARAPAK, AP

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[LiteKeeper]

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[NormsRevenge]

[NormsRevenge]

Totally off-topic, but did you know that only about 1,000 people contribute to keep Free Republic up and running? That is out of over 100,000 registered users on this site.

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[mvpel]

In April 1996, UN Special Representative for the Sudan, Gaspar Biro, reported "an alarming increase...in cases of slavery, servitude, slave trade, and forced labor." In June 1996, two reporters from the Baltimore Sun illegally visited the Sudan. They produced a series of articles in the Sun called "Witness to Slavery," in which they documented slavery in the Sudan. In fact, they bought two young slaves and set them free.

Sudan Q&A

[7DayRepo]

"At this place, liberty and life were stolen and sold,"

So will we be hearing apologies from the descendants of the Arab and African slave traders who abducted their own countrymen and sold them into slavery?

[cyborg]

That was not that point, although I understand what you are saying. If there were no buyers here in America, there would have been no sellers. Also, the Europeans, British, in particular, were just taking advantage of dividing and conqueroring warring tribes anyway. American Indians bought and sold other Indians. However, what went on at Goree Island wasn't the invention of some tribe chieftain. You can say it was American businessmen in the South (and the North too).

[cyborg]

No one cares except christian missionaries and Steve Malzberg. Actually he may well be the only one I've heard really address slavery in the Sudan. BTW did you know that if you have a Israeli visa stamped on your passport you CANNOT visit the Sudan? I wonder how they felt actually buying two slaves and setting them free? That must have been the greatest rush, if I may be so ignorant with words.

[7DayRepo]

Africans were selling each other into the Islamic trans-Saharan and Indian Ocean slave trades as early as 650 AD.

What American businessmen were around in 650 AD?

[Steel Wolf]

So, if people in Africa wanted to buy Americans, by your logic it would be okay for me to round up some neighbors, drive them to the coast, and sell them off? If no one wanted to buy Americans, then I wouldn't sell, would I?

They were greedy, just like we were, and sold their fellow man out. No one put a gun to their heads and said, 'Go hunt us some slaves', they did it for profit. No one put a gun to our heads and made us buy them, either. It was also done for profit. I fail to see how we as the former buyers are more culpable than they as the former sellers.

Also, if you buy two slaves and set them free, you're increasing the demand for slaves. More will be rounded up and sold since the merchandise is moving, so you would not in fact be reducing slavery, but fueling it.

[billbears]

If there were no buyers here in America, there would have been no sellers.

Ummmm, no. Less than 10% of the slaves from the slave trade came to these United States

[cyborg]

If there were buyers anywhere, there would have been no sellers.

[cyborg]

I was talking about American slavery specifically. Of course I know slavery has been going on in Africa for a long time before colonization.

[TalBlack]

American slavery was one of histoys greatest crime?

Not for nothing: but why is that? What makes slavery in America a WORSE crime than the THOUSANDS of years of slavery that preceded it, or for that matter the slavery that has been practiced in other countries since american abolition and to this very day? One can refer to slavery grenerically and be understood to be speaking of the United States. Funny, since the humans enslaved in America's history don't amount to one one hundreth of one percenrt of the enslaved in world history TO THIS VERY DAY. Oh, sorry, there I go repeating myself. I'm sick of "slavery" I don't care about it anymore, I don't want to hear about it any more, at least until OTHER infamies in history get at least as much as an airing. We can start with the potato famine of the mid 19th century!

[cyborg]

So, if people in Africa wanted to buy Americans, by your logic it would be okay for me to round up some neighbors, drive them to the coast, and sell them off? If no one wanted to buy Americans, then I wouldn't sell, would I?

*My sister is moving to Japan for a year. She already got a warning about turning her passport over to people. This may sound hard to believe, but there are Americans selling other Americans to the international sex trade.

They were greedy, just like we were, and sold their fellow man out. No one put a gun to their heads and said, 'Go hunt us some slaves', they did it for profit. No one put a gun to our heads and made us buy them, either. It was also done for profit. I fail to see how we as the former buyers are more culpable than they as the former sellers.

* I understand your point. You are right in that respect. It was all greed. I was not saying that the buyers are more culpable than sellers though.

Also, if you buy two slaves and set them free, you're increasing the demand for slaves. More will be rounded up and sold since the merchandise is moving, so you would not in fact be reducing slavery, but fueling it.

* If I saw two people suffering and being whipped and raped,etc. I would have found it hard not to. You are right but you know how people are. Same thing can be applied here. Would slavery in the South have been different if so many slaves weren't running away to the North, West and to indian terrority? Who knows?

BTW, what good is apologizing for slavery going to do now? It's two hundred plus years after the fact.

[7DayRepo]

slavery has been going on in Africa for a long time before colonization.

Slavery existed in China in the 18th century BC, in India in the first century BC, and throughout the history of Islam. Why is America singled out to apologize?

[cyborg]

Potato Famine of Ireland 1847?
Armenian holocaust
Jewish holocaust
Rawanda

- I am sorry I engendered such a reaction to what I said. I was being very specific. Actually I agree 100% with you. I've said to my black friends how is slavery any worse than what happened? You know we only think US slavery and segregation is awful because it's in our recent memory. We've all been enslaved in our various histories. I met a customer who was raised by his great grandmother,the daughter of slaves, and at first he really did not like me too much. He had to hide from the Klan, and all of that. So... human memory is a good thing, then again it can be a bad thing.

[Sender]

Calling American slavery "history's greatest crime" is the precursor to Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton demanding "history's greatest check". From ME and YOU.

[cyborg]

Because Goree Island sent many slaves to America? That is what I read in a few articles... and because Dubya is there. Then again, it's like standing by the Vietnam War Memorial. How can you not be moved by something so momentous?