Chapter 2805 Black Comedy
The wave of abolition of slavery that started in Alfheim in the summer of 1627 also swept through the headquarters of the Continental Army in Forge Valley, and the most active advocates were Audrey and Holden.
The two siblings have long been displeased with the slavery system in the colonies, and they also complained about the racism prevailing in the Continental Army. They took this opportunity to speak to General Vasa again and again, imploring His Excellency the Commander-in-Chief to set an example in promoting social progress , On the issue of emancipating black slaves, regain righteousness from the enemy.
Most of the trusted adjutants around General Vasa are progressive young people who are congenial to the Zion siblings. Infected by these young people, His Excellency General's thoughts have gradually changed.
He asked Holden to draft a proposal to recruit black slaves to join the army, and submitted it to the Continental Congress in his own name. He believed that this method could ease the pressure of public opinion, and at the same time help rebuild the Continental Army Confederate Corps as soon as possible.
The proposal submitted by General Vasa was publicly discussed in the Continental Congress and caused great controversy.
As we all know, the majority of the representatives of the Continental Congress were themselves big slave owners and manor owners. Based on their own interests, this group of people in power banded together to fiercely oppose any measures aimed at emancipating black slaves.
In the words of these gentlemen, "Conniving black slaves to fight for freedom is tantamount to encouraging crime" and depriving slave owners of their "sacred and inviolable private property".
The barrier of "property rights" cannot be bypassed, and there is no way to talk about the emancipation of black slaves.
At the meeting, Mr. Patrick Henry, the representative of the opposition, stood up without hesitation.
In the same impassioned tone as when he uttered his famous battle cry - "Give me liberty or give me death" - the widely revered barrister declared:
"Winthrop's proclamation provides the most powerful reason for the people of the New World to seek independence!"
When Joan saw Mr. Patrick Henry's remarks in the newspaper, he couldn't help wondering what the man's so-called "strongest reason" was?
Because his slaves were instigated by the "Emancipation Proclamation" and fled, which damaged his interests, so he has more reason to support the "Independent Revolution"?
Then the subtext is that after the victory of the Revolution, those black slaves who escaped from the plantations and were liberated in Port-Prince will be arrested by slave owners like Patrick Henry, put on shackles again, and continue to live as cattle and horses. abused days?
At this time, don't we talk about "all men are born free and equal"?
Aren't the black slaves who escaped from Mr. Henry's plantation just practicing the battle cry "Give me liberty or give me death"?
Mr. Henry objected to black slaves practicing the slogan he put forward, which only shows that he did not regard black slaves as human beings. He proclaimed that "all men are born free and equal", but he believed that some people, including himself, were better than others. Some people are freer and more equal.
If the ideal of Patrick Henry's party is to establish such a "retro" slavery aristocratic republic, then they should go to the front line to shed blood and sacrifice themselves, instead of fleeing from north to south, and at the same time use those high-sounding slogans to incite many people. Compatriots from the bottom of society work for themselves.
Joan had to admire the hypocrisy and shamelessness of this group of people, and really couldn't figure out where Patrick Henry and his like had the shame to call themselves "public opinion leaders" and represent "the people of the New World" at every turn.
As a native of the New World, Qiao An doesn't want to be endorsed by this hypocrite, it's disgusting!
To his relief, at this meeting, Mr. Alexander Jefferson did not make any radical remarks, nor did he make it clear that he supported or opposed the emancipation of black slaves.
Joan felt that there were two ways to interpret this matter.
First of all, hypocrites are also divided into grades. Mr. Jefferson’s grade is much higher than that of Mr. Henry. Even if his own interests are damaged, he will not immediately tear off the mask of hypocrisy and rush out to protect his own interests. See the ugliness of "bare butt".
Secondly, Joan is more willing to believe that although Mr. Jefferson has a hypocritical side, he is still a respectable idealist in his bones.
On the one hand, out of self-interest, he was unwilling to join the abolitionist movement immediately; on the other hand, out of lofty ideals, he was unwilling to follow Patrick Henry and his ilk and carry the tiger skin of "sacred and inviolable private property" To make a big banner and defend the bloody and evil slavery, in the end, you can only choose to prevaricate and perfunctory, and pass the test in a low-key manner.
Joan is not a roundworm in Mr. Jefferson's stomach, and he doesn't know his true thoughts. The reason why he is more willing to believe that he has difficulties is because he misses the relationship between teachers and students in the past, and he doesn't want to see his idol when he was young completely collapsed. A more subtle factor may be the projection of his own dilemma on Mr. Jefferson.
Even if Jefferson was a hypocrite, a hypocrite suffering from conscience and always struggling between morality and utilitarianism, is more worthy of sympathy than a hypocrite who is cold and firm, has no moral bottom line, and acts unscrupulously.
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Patrick Henry ascended to the top, and the Continental Congress gathered. Others either stuck their heads in the sand like Jefferson and pretended to be an ostrich, and refused to speak, or argued hard, but they were weak and weak, and they were no match for the southern slave owners. The suppression of this proposal by General Vasa failed in the end.
But it's not over yet.
Opposition voices within the independent camp can be suppressed, but criticism from international friends cannot be ignored.
Since Earl Winthrop promoted the black slave liberation movement in Alfheim with great fanfare, the two allies of the Continental Congress, the Far East Government and the Canaan Government, have also been severely criticized by domestic progressives.
"As the leader of the government of a big country, if you don't know how to keep yourself clean, how can you do a good job in politics?!"
"Philadelphia accuses us of collaborating with anti-human slave owners, and talking about freedom and equality is pure hypocrisy. How do you ask us to refute?"
Facing the turbulent domestic public opinion, the Far East and Canaan authorities felt a lot of pressure, so they had to send a note through diplomatic channels, urging the Continental Congress to introduce measures to abolish slavery as soon as possible, otherwise the suspension of aid would not be ruled out.
Under the threat of international friends, the representatives of the Continental Congress met every day in Leiden City, arguing for a whole week before barely passing a vaguely worded bill.
The content included that slaves who joined the army during the war were exempted from arrest, those who killed the enemy soldiers were granted the status of "free men", and the Continental Congress promised to make corresponding monetary compensation to their masters.
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·Historical Materials: Whose Freedom? ("Free Exile" (USA) Maya Jasanoff)
On November 7, 1775, Lord Dunmore, then Governor of the Colony of Virginia, issued a proclamation declaring that "everyone (in the name of the rebels) indentured servants, black slaves, and others, who are able and willing to take up arms and join the King Your Majesty's troops will be set free at once."
Within two weeks of the proclamation, 200 to 300 slaves were said to have joined the fighting ranks of the British army. The black soldiers went to war wearing uniform badges that read "Freedom to the Slaves," a slogan that sent chills down the spines of white patriots advocating freedom.
Several of George Washington's slaves escaped from Mount Vernon to Dunmore's ship.
Several slaves of Virginia Congressman Patrick Henry also ran away.
The patriot, immortalized in his famous battle cry, "Give me liberty or give me death," declared that "Dunmore's proclamation is one of the reasons why North Americans should declare their independence."
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British military commanders immediately followed suit, promising freedom to slaves who would fight.
When the British bombed Wilmington, North Carolina, in the spring of 1776, so many slaves escaped to join them that General Sir Henry Clinton formed them into another black regiment called the Negro Pioneers.
In all, some 20,000 black slaves joined the British Army during the Revolution, roughly the same number as whites who joined the Loyalist regiments.