Roy Moore, the Republican candidate for Alabama, is now a well known accused child molester but he is a racist as well. Remember in September, when Moore stated America was only “great” during the time that slavery was legal.
“I think it was great at the time when families were united — even though we had slavery — they cared for one another. Our families were strong, our country had a direction.”
In 2011, we visited Charleston during The Sesquicentennial of the Civil War and received a good look at the abomination called slavery. Charleston's -- and indeed the South's -- economic and political power were attained on the backs of thousands and thousands of slaves. According to the 1860 U.S. census, 393,975 individuals, representing 8 percent of all U.S. families, owned 3,950,528 slaves. The slaves usually lived in shabby quarters behind the mansion or over the stables.
Our visit to The Old Slave Mart Museum in Charleston reminded us of the "why" of the Civil War. It wasn't really about state's rights or property rights. (Slaves, of course, were the property in question.) No matter how you spin it, the Civil War was about slavery. In 1808, the U.S. banned the international slave trade, but despite government efforts, about 250,000 slaves were smuggled into the U.S. from 1808 until the Civil War. And the U.S. ban did not cover slaves born in the U.S.
By treating a race or an ethnic group as less than human, enslaving them became easier. That's basically what happened in slaveholding states. For example, the South Carolina Slave Code of 1740 prohibited teaching a slave to read or write, a slave could not testify in court, and a slave could be executed for plotting to run away. Slaveowners came to view Blacks as lazy, mentally inferior, and naturally promiscuous. Selling away a family member was viewed as only a temporary hardship for the slaves involved. Even religious leaders preached that slaves were born to be slaves, must work hard for their masters, and never disobey, lie or steal.
Charleston was a center for the buying and selling of slaves with about 40 slave marts or auction places. Slaves were brought to the slaves marts and housed in dungeon-like rooms. Shackles and chains were removed to let wounds heal. They were then examined by physicians to make sure they were healthy; rations were increased to fatten them up; they were made to dance or exercise to tone up their muscles; their skin was greased to give them a healthy glow; grey hair was plucked or dyed; and women's hair was oiled. Then the slaves were put up for auction. Prices ranged from $600 to $1,900. A slave with special skills, such as carpentry, iron work, etc., fetched a higher price.
Is this Moore’s definition of “great?” Lord help us.
For the causes of the Civil War and graphic depictions of the life of a slave, I recommend The Civil War by Ken Burns, 12 Years as a Slave, and both versions of Roots.
We do not need and want another racist, who is an accused pedophile as well, in the U.S. Senate. Or will Moore’s election help fulfill Trump’s goal of making “America great again?”