Sunday, October 21, 2012

#8 no ones equal

Why were African Americans chosen for slavery over any other race? After some research I found out that, Africans were used as slaves because they were looked down on and were resistant to malaria, a disease that had killed most native American slaves. Also, slavery existed in a different form in Africa, so African slave traders provided a a large supply to whites. I could never grasp why we even had slavery. Yes, I knew we had slavery, but couldn't understand why someone could not do their own work and take care of their own plantations. I strictly believe that everyone is equal and you should treat everyone the way you want to be treated. Instead in the fourteen hundreds slavery begun. Zinn states, "That even before the 1600 when slaves just begun, before Africans were stomped by it- literally and symbolically- the color black was distasteful." From the time African Americans were born they were hated and looked down upon. They were immediately put to work as soon as they could walk and they were sold, doing anything and everything they could to help their owners. Zinn also states, "In 1619 a million blacks had already been brought from Africa to South America and Caribbean to the Portuguese and Spanish Colonies, to work as slaves." Slaves were passed around from one plantation to another and were made to do work no white man would think twice about doing. Slavery was a harsh way of making someone live and work. Eventually African Americans were tired of being put through slavery, not going to the same school or store as whites, not drinking from the same water fountain, or even being able to sit where they want. African Americans began to take a stand for example, Rosa Parks set in the white section of the bus. She was tired from working all day and did not want to walk all the way to the back of the bus where she was allowed to sit. Rosa refused to get up out of the white section of the bus, she was thrown in jail for refusing to move to the black section of the bus. African Americans followed Rosa and began standing up for what they thought was wrong and what they were tired of. Matin Luther King Jr. had made a statement that I love and everyone else should always follow. Martin said, " no matter how much anyone hurt or done to you never hate them or be viloent. Always show love and kindness." Being nice to everyone, treating everyone the way you want to be treated, and seeing that everyone is equal should be the way everyone acts. I don't believe in slavery, hurting others, treating people differently, just because their a different color. Slavery was cruel and hurtful and unfair to everyone. I am glad for people who stood up for the fight against slavery, people like Martin Luther King Jr; who had a dream and the people who fought in the civil war because without these people slavery may still be going on today.