We recognize that Black history started way before Columbus stumbled upon this place now called the Americas. Black history was in Egypt, Timbuktu, etc. But I want to start with slavery. I know that we don’t talk about slavery, but we must understand it. Black history is critical for White Americans because it’s the flip side of White history.
In the formative years of the U. S. colonies, indentured servants were the order of the day. Human beings could be held as servants against their will for up to seven years to repay debts. It was a form of slavery, and some practitioners of indentured servitude wanted to keep them longer. A powerful rationale was needed to justify keeping indentured servants for more than seven years. White supremacy provided the excuse. Black history is critical for White Americans because it is the flip side of White history.
Blacks were perceived as so inferior that they were considered “sub-human.” Whites were perceived as so superior that they were considered “supreme.” Blacks were perceived as so degraded that one drop of Black blood made a person Black. Therefore, every form of social interaction was prohibited: eating; going to church; attending schools; participating in social events and sports, etc. It was White supremacy. Black history is critical for White Americans because it is the flip side of White history.
The slavery that developed was unlike any other in the history of humankind. American slavery was not only for the life of enslaved human beings but also for the lives of their children and their children’s children. It was just like owning animals. Moreover, the “Master” determined every element of the identity of enslaved people: what names they would be called; what language they would speak; what religion they would practice; what marital relationships they would have; what parental relationships they could have; what history they could share; what property they would own; which places they would live; etc. Enslaved persons became nothing more than items of commerce – chattel. The forging of alternate identities had profound implications. Instead of a society “with slaves,” America morphed into a slave society. Black history is critical for White Americans because it is the flip side of White history.
Maintaining such a harsh system of slavery required massive violence. Any act by enslaved people could be met by violence: disrespectful facial expressions; disobedience; contesting slavery; etc. And enslavers were very fearful that blacks would return the violence that had been heaped upon them. This violence and fear had terrible consequences for us all. Black history is critical for White Americans because it is the flip side of White history.
White supremacy was enshrined as the highest law of the land by the United States Supreme Court in the1857 Dred Scott decision. Chief Justice Roger B. Taney, writing for the 7-2 majority, stated the following about people of African descent: (1) they were considered sub-human; (2) whether slave or free, they had no rights that a White man was bound to respect; (3) they were subordinate as an inferior race; (4) they were an inferior order unfit to interact with the White race; (5) they were treated as ordinary articles of commerce (chattel); (6) they were a class of beings stigmatized with a deep and enduring mark of inferiority and degradation. This was White supremacy in its fullest form enunciated by the highest court of the land. Black history is critical for White Americans because it is the flip side of White history.
Slavery ended in 1865 with the ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment. White Supremacy, however, was so deeply ingrained that it continued to flourish. That’s why the right to vote for African American males was effectively wiped out in a couple of decades through violence, terror, literacy tests, poll taxes, grandfather clauses, etc. White supremacy also explains why more than 4,000 lynchings and innumerable other acts of terrorism flourished without significant prosecutions. This was state-sanctioned terror because governments allowed it to happen. White supremacy also explains why official segregation of the races by law continued until the 1964 Civil Rights Act and the 1965 Voting Rights Act. Black history is critical for White Americans because it is the flip side of White history.
White supremacy did not cease with the end of segregation in 1965. It continues to this day. That’s why most killers of African Americans in the Civil Rights Movement were not successfully prosecuted. That’s why voting rights are still under a sustained attack 50 years after the enacting of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. That’s why Black lives are still far less valued than White lives. Blacks are way more likely to be killed without anything being done about it. Blacks get less acceptable health care, jobs, housing, education, protection from crime, justice etc. That’s why this country has one of the highest rates of violence in the world. That’s why the United States also has the highest level of incarceration in the world with less than 5 percent of the world’s population but nearly 25 percent of the incarcerated people. By any measuring stick, Black lives do not matter as much as White lives. And all this goes back to chattel slavery. Until we come to grips with the legacy of slavery and the web of White supremacy, neither Whites nor Blacks will truly understand the profound challenges facing us. Black history is critical to White Americans because it is the flip side of White history.
EPILOGUE – History is powerful. History is powerful when we know it. History is powerful when we don’t know it. History is powerful either way, so we may as well know it.
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