So, in their attempt to defend Florida from the vicious attacks by Vice President Harris, Ron Desantis proclaimed that being an enslaved person “taught skills” which could be used later in life. (Presumably as a free person).
Alex Wagner and Jelani Cobb destroyed this argument.
But wait it gets worse. There’s a statement from the people who wrote these new standards defending their position again claiming that it is “well documented” that people who had been slaves gained skills during their enslavement that they could later use.
I love this part.
“Any attempt to reduce slaves to just victims of oppression fails to recognize their strength, courage and resiliency during a difficult time in American history. Florida students deserve to learn how slaves took advantage of whatever circumstances they were in to benefit themselves and the community of African descendants.”
They could make that point by talking about the black church which was developed during slavery, and how that crossed over into the creation of negro spirituals, and then gospel, and later jazz, blues, R&B, funk, Rock ‘N Roll and Hip Hop. Or they could talk about black cuisine and soul food, blending African tradition with Southern foods. Or they could talk about black art, or black literature and scholarship. But no, they have to make it about “job skills” because — being conservatives — that’s the only thing they apparently value.
Or then again, did they gain job skills? Join me over the jump for the sad truth.
Here’s what VP Harris had to say in Jacksonville pointing out the Rape, Torture, Human Trafficking and Terrorism that was a part of the Slave trade which of course, is worth tolerating if only you could “gain a skill.”
[Besides the point as pointed out in the comments that most slaves were bought and sold specifically because of the skills they already had, and the fact that blacksmithing already existed in Africa] The simple fact is that many of the names on their list of examples — were not slaves. And that most of those who had been slaves gained their business and personal skills — AFTER that slavery.
For example, there’s Ned Cobb who was born in 1885 — 20 years after Slavery ended.
Then there’s Henry Blair.
Here's Ron Desantis come back where he says it beneficial to “parlay” being a blacksmith — like Henry Blair — as a benefit “later in life.” Besides the fact that Blair was born a free man when he became a blacksmith, American Chattle Slavery was for life, exactly when was that “later time” supposed to be? In the afterlife?
The fact that DeSantis thinks training a slave to use a hammer and tongs would be considered a good idea simply shows how he fails to understand the “at seige” nature of the slave. trade and the fear of potential uprisings.
And then there’s #2 Lewis Lattimer, also a blacksmith, who’s parents had been enslaved but he was actually born in Massachusettes as a free man.
The first possible former slave listed is John Henry who was forced to work the railroad as a prisoner under the Black Codes following Slavery and also is a folk hero who may not have actually existed. [He did exist.] Henry was not a blacksmith, he was a railroad worker who famously battled a mechanical device at driving railroad spikes with his hammer until he died.
Skipping to the chase James Forten, Paul Chuffe, John Chavis, William Whipper were also all born free men.
The seventh name on the list is extra ridiculous because it’s George Washington’s WHITE sister.
How exactly d bgvo people who call themselves “educators” put George Washington’s sister on a list of people who “gained skills from slavery” never mind the fact that that didn’t happen and she wasn’t a slave, she’s not African either so it doesn’t even make the point the during slavery many African-Americans became prominent businessmen and women.
Now, of the people who were slaves on the list, most of them didn't actually gain their business skills from slavery itself.
Hammon was born into slavery on Long Island. In most of the South, teaching a slave to read and write was illegal. So he gained a “skill” that wasn’t even offered to most slaves at the time and certainly couldn’t be considered an example of “things I learned from slavery.”
Attucks is the second actual slave on their list and he gained the skill of being a sailer AFTER he escaped from slavery. That’s 0-2 so far.
Then we get to number 12.
“But it was her enslaved mother who taught her how to do that.” It may have happened while she was enslaved, but gaining the skill of being a seamstress had nothing do to with her enslaved condition, it was passed down from mother to daughter which would have likely occurred if both of them had been free. Technically it was probably common for one slave to teach another slave a particular skill, but this is not a good example of that. So we’re technically at 1 for 4 out of the enslaved and 1 for 12 out of the entire list.
Finally, we have our first real example with James Thomas.
Not a tailor, a barber. Not a slave exactly, his freedom was technically bought when he was 6. He learned his skill again as a free person even though he was “considered” a slave by law. Technically, because he was “legally considered a slave”, 2 for 13.
Then we have another example with Betsey Stockton.
She became a teacher after she had become a fully free person, so this one is again a NO.
Then there’s Booker T. Washington and the totals.
While enslaved Booker was illiterate and then taught himself to read after emancipation. Slavery did not make him a teacher.
16 people were listed and apparently, only 2 of them learned a skill while being a slave, and yet that skill wasn’t taught to them because they were a slave but rather in spite of or was incidental to it.
This is fucking ridiculous. It’s dumb. It’s sloppy. It’s not even up to the standards of a half-assed google fact check.
“It is disappointing, but nevertheless unsurprising, that critics would reduce months of work to create Florida’s first stand-alone strand of African American history standards to a few isolated expressions without context.”
I actually appreciate looking up and learning about all of the successful African American business persons during the Antebellum and Civil War periods. That was actually instructive - but apparently *they* didn't bother to really look this up themselves. And yet, they worked on this for months? How in the world does someone who calls themself an “educator” get things this hilariously wrong? How does George Washington’s sister get on a list of people who “learned skills from slavery?” How does Ned Cobb get on the list when he was born 20 years after Slavery ended?
Unless pushing an agenda that diminishes the real impact and damage of slavery is exactly the point. This is some weak-ass Thomas Sowell/Candace Owens nonsense.
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This subject was discussed this morning on CNN.