Widespread forced labor in the United States after 1865, mostly imposed to African Americans, is reviewed by this most interesting, impressive, shocking historical documentary: Slavery by another name, which can be watched in full for free HERE (must watch, really).
The USA was not so much built on fake self-made men but rather on the shoulders of millions of African Americans and other poor people exploited and abused mercilessly in a deeply rooted conspiration of slavery upheld by the whole social and political system, even against its own proclaimed principles.
Found via Kasama.
Some people argue that slavery would have faded away without the civil war because it was becoming economically untenable. But that argument ignores how forced labor, sharecropping, etc. remained for so long in places where slavery had been. Even with civil war, constitutional amendments, etc., it took a long time for real change. Slavery had roots in a racist culture, not just laws and economics.
ReplyDeleteActually even today there is a certain degree of slavery in the oversized and semi-private US prison system, many of whose victims are still African Americans (in a very disproportionate way that stinks to racism). It's probably not anymore so central to the economy but the system persists.
ReplyDeleteMumia Abu Jamal, upon his partial amnesty, denounced this issue again (radio interview), there was also a very negative recent review of the US prison system at Al Jazeera.
Btw, can you believe that searching in this blog for "Mumia" or "Mumia Abu Jamal" produces no results? Yet he's been repeatedly mentioned. Google search engine probably censors somehow, it has no other explanation.
Maju, I am a lawyer for the state government where I live, and until coming across his story on this blog I knew nothing about it. Sadly, stories like that can be found in most big cities in this country. It hardly makes news outside a small area.
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