Why is it “Which group of people was brought to the US and sold into slavery?” Shouldn’t it be the other way round? Sold into slavery and then brought to the US?
8 responses to “Preparing for the Test”
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Hey. it’s a government test — do you really expect the questions to be well-written? 🙂
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I think wording the question in your way is more problematic ideologically since, instead of concentrating on the evil of past America, it would draw attention to Africa and raise uncomfortable questions of who was selling slaves to American traders.
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Why is it uncomfortable? It’s common knowledge. Although one should never underestimate the depths of popular ignorance.
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\ Why is it uncomfortable? It’s common knowledge.
Because some racist Americans use “other countries had slavery too” and “Africans were unslaving other black people before WASP Americans came” as a way to may be not justify but at least partly whiten the image of antebellum America (pun intended).
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Slavery, of course, wasn’t an American invention. But the American exceptionalism makes many people want to believe it was.
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The US wasn’t even a major player in the Atlantic Slave Trade (since only 6% or less were taken to what is now the US). But American exceptionalism means that if we did something bad then were the most terrible and guilty.
It’s also maybe why the question is worded so badly, off the top of my head I think the ships and European slavers were British so from the US point of view the slaves didn’t exist until sold to Americans….
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Rutledge:
Molasses to rum to slaves, oh what a beautiful waltz
You dance with us, we dance with you
Molasses and rum and slaves
Who sails the ships out of Boston
Ladened with bibles and rum?
Who drinks a toast to the Ivory Coast?
Hail Africa, the slavers have come
New England with bibles and rum
And its off with the rum and the bibles
Take on the slaves, clink, clink
Hail and farewell to the smell
Of the African coast
Molasses to rum to slaves
‘Tisn’t morals, ’tis money that saves
Shall we dance to the sound of the profitable pound
In molasses and rum and slaves
Who sails the ships out of Guinea
Ladened with bibles and slaves?
‘Tis Boston can boast to the West Indies coast
Jamaica, we brung what ye craves
Antigua, Barbados, we brung bibles and slaves!
Molasses to rum to slaves
Who sail the ships back to Boston
Ladened with gold, see it gleam
Whose fortunes are made in the triangle trade
Hail slavery, the New England dream!
Mr. Adams, I give you a toast:
Hail Boston! Hail Charleston!
Who stinketh the most?https://www.stlyrics.com/lyrics/1776originalcastrecording/molassestorum.htm
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Sail Away (Randy Newman)
In America you’ll get food to eat
Won’t have to run through the jungle
And scuff up your feet
You’ll just sing about Jesus and drink wine all day
It’s great to be an AmericanAin’t no lions or tigers, ain’t no mamba snake
Just the sweet watermelon and the buckwheat cake
Ev’rybody is as happy as a man can be
Climb aboard, little wog, sail away with me(Chorus) Sail away, sail away
We will cross the mighty ocean into Charleston Bay
Sail away, sail away
We will cross the mighty ocean into Charleston BayIn America every man is free
To take care of his home and his family
You’ll be as happy as a monkey in a monkey tree
You’re all gonna be an American (chorus)Best version for me is the incomparable Etta James
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A conservative literary critic and college professor
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