Abolishing Slavery In America

Slavery in America stems well back to when the New World was first discovered and was led by the country to start the African Slave Trade- Portugal. The African Slave Trade was first exploited for use on plantations in what is now called the Caribbean, and eventually reached the southern coasts of America. The African natives were of all ages and sexes. Women usually worked in the homes, cooking and cleaning, whereas men were sent out into the plantations to farm. Young girls would usually help in the house also and young boys would help in the farm by bailing hay and loading wagons with crops. Since trying to capture the native Indians, the Arawaks and Caribs, failed (Small Pox had killed them instead), the Europeans said out to capture
It would take America about a hundred years to do the same. George Washington was America's hero. He was America's first president. He was a slave owner. He deplored slavery but did not release his slaves. His will stated that they would be released after the death of his wife (The Volume Library, 1988). Washington wasn't the only president to have slaves. Thomas Jefferson wrote, "All men are created equal" but died leaving his blacks in slavery.

In 1775 black Americans were sent to fight in the revolutionary army. The British proposed that if a black man were to join their army, they would be set free afterwards. America originally planned not to let the blacks fight in the army, but when hearing this, let them enlist. Only Georgia and South Carolina refused to let them enlist, but paid for their racism when each lost 25,000 blacks to the British. The slaves returned on a honorable discharge after securing America's freedom, but were not able to return to their own freedom (Software Toolworks Encyclopedia;
Neo Nazis. The Aryan Nations. The American Nazi Party. What are these groups? Why are they present in a land of supposed equality of all men? They are there because there are millions of Americans that believe in their message of white pride.

The African American population is growing and Americans are now a mixed group of people. Black people are white people's neighbors, doctors, and friends. With a growing unity between the two races, why does racism continue? The answer is simple. Racists from many years ago raise their kids in clans and white supremacy groups and teach them the ways of hatred. These kids grow up "brain-washed" that black people are their enemies and, taught by example, will continue this trend (The Volume Library; 1988).

The Ku Klux Klan has been around since the end of the Civil War. It is a roller coaster of history as they have gone from extreme power, to rapid decline, and slow reemergence in major areas of the United States (Software Toolworks Encyclopedia; 1992). The Klan, which is notorious for its violence, has a relatively innocent beginning. It was formed from some veterans from the confederate army and was first called the Kuklos Clan which, in Greek, meant