Dear editor,

Sen. Hank Sanders’ letter to Charles Barkley about slavery exsisting everywhere in Alabama, the South and America today is a lie. Sanders, Barkley nor myself have even been slaves. The old stories I heard or I was told this or that about those times seldom fit the true facts.

Sanders gave a basic overlay of that institution with many historical facts left out for the purpose of promoting Sanders’ view of those times.

With a little research Sanders could have presented all the facts of the story of American’s slavery truthfully. However, there is nothing to be gained politically by Sanders if he did not have this dead horse to keep beating. American history books do not tell the story of the first slaves in America being white Europeans. The first black slaves were introduced 200 years later. I guess this truth is too politically incorrect to be told today. British records are full of incidences where whites were shanghied from pubs or sent to the American colonies by British courts not as indentured servants but, as outright slaves. The more warm bodies the king had working in the colonies meant more tax money sent to him.

So Sanders does not feel as if his race is the only one that belongs to an exclusive club or are special. The story of slavery goes back to the beginning of time and encompasses every race found on this planet today.

Sanders did not explain to Barkley that the majority of African slaves were sold into slavery by other Africans.

If a tribe lost a battle or war with another tribe the losers were shipped to Africa`s west coast & sold to into slavery, just as criminal elements within African tribes were.

So who was commiting most of the abuses on these slaves? Those who captured them & sold them into slavery to the white man.

The countries providing the ships to transport these slaves were Britain, Spain, Portugal, Germany, America and a host of other countries. None were flying the confederate flag but many U.S. ships of the New England states shipping fleets were all flying the American flag.

Their biggest ports of entry for newly arrived slaves into America were in Boston, Philadelphia and New York City.

The only reason the discussion of African slavery exsists today is because those who claim they want it to die will not let it.

It’s too big of a bargaining race card to lose from modern politics even though those playing it have never been slaves themselves.

 

Billy Price 

Ashville