The Melchizedek Chronicles – Slavery, the greatest of sins against God – Roots and History in America

With the Democratic presidential campaign heading into debates the next two days the issue of slavery and reparations is bound to come up so I thought I would report on the history of slavery in America in order to make certain our many candidates have the truth.  In this article I will trace the roots and history of slavery in the U.S. including those responsible for the slave trade in North America.

Long before Columbus ever discovered the Americas slavery was a vital component of society and culture throughout the known world.  In historical Africa slavery was practiced in many different forms.

There was indentured servitude, Debt slavery, enslavement of captives, military slavery, slavery for prostitution criminal slavery.  African slaves were shipped throughout the world well before America was even discovered.

In truth, there were over sixty million slaves taken from Africa.  Of that number, ten to twelve million were sold to slave traders for shipment to the Americas.  Over one million died in captivity in Africa or during the ten-week ship journey to the New World.

Slightly less than ten million made it to the Americas from the first Portuguese shipment of the Atlantic African Slaves between 1503 and 1519, and the end of slavery in America in 1865.

No slaves were sold to the North American colonies until 1619.  Of the ten million arriving in the Americas over the years, the North American colonies of Britain, France, Spain, Portugal and the Dutch received a total of 388,000 slaves, twenty-six percent children, as definitely established in the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Database.

The same five European empires were in vicious competition to colonize both the Americas and Africa, so led by the Portuguese they established and owned the African Slave Trade in partnership with the African kingdoms.  With the discovery of the Americas in 1492 the Trans-Atlantic African Slave Trade evolved rapidly with shipments to Central and South America where Spain and Portugal had colonies.

By the time North America was first being settled in 1608 the five European empires began diverting some African slaves to North America to service their new colonies.   When the citizens of the thirteen British colonies in North America revolted and defeated the mighty British empire, then adopted a new Constitution in 1789, the new Republic signaled that the African Slave Trade must end.

In 1808 both the US and Britain banned African slave trade.  Individual states banned slavery leading up to the American Civil War in 1860.  By that time America had grown from thirteen states to thirty-three states, and eleven seceded from the Union and formed the Confederacy.

Though President Abraham Lincoln ended slavery with the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, it was not until the defeat of the Confederates in 1865 and notification given in the state of Texas, that slavery officially came to an end.

During the period of 1619 when slaves first arrived in North America until the end of slavery and freeing of all slaves in 1865, there were about five million slaves in North America, of which 388,000 came from Africa.  Half of the slaves were men, one third were children, and one eighth were elderly or crippled.

The vast majority of the growth in the number of slaves in North America was primarily natural increase, in which the population of slaves grew an average of 28.7 percent a year from 1790 until 1860.

In the U.S., on average, a slave mother gave birth to between nine and ten children, more than twice the birth rate of the West Indies in Central America.  Throughout most of the New World the European practice of children born to slaves became slaves.

Driven by a huge demand for sugar, cotton and tobacco in Europe, the Southern states became plantation states.   After the US banned African slaves in 1808 the demand for workers on the plantations became so severe that over a million slaves were moved from Northern states to the Southern plantation states.

When Abraham Lincoln was elected president in 1860 there were thirty-three American states.  Eleven seceded from the Union and started their own nation, the Confederacy.  At the time there were about 3.9 million slaves in the US, both the North and the South.  During the Civil War over 500,000 Southern slaves were freed by the Union troops, and all the slaves in America were freed by 1865.

In 1860, the population of the entire Republic was 31.5 million, including 3.9 million Black slaves.  Most were located in fifteen Southern states, of which eleven did secede from the Union.

Ironically, more than seventy-five percent of the Southern population did not own slaves in 1860.

Summary

African slave trade began almost 200 years before America was discovered.

From 1519 until 1860 ninety-seven percent of the African slaves brought to America and sold went to Central and South America, the Spanish and Portuguese colonies, just three percent went to North America.

The African Slave Trade was established by the European empires of Portugal, Britain, France, Spain and the Dutch.

African Trans-Atlantic slave trade was a European undertaking to supply manpower for development of the European colonies in America.

When Americans revolted and defeated the British empire and adopted the US Constitution in 1789, the young nation was surrounded by the British, French and Spanish colonies still in America.

In 1808 the new Republic banned the African Slave Trade to the US.

It took further wars with Britain, 1812, Mexico in 1846-48, and Spain in 1898 to finally free the US from the stranglehold of the remaining European colonies surrounding the Republic.

By 1865 the Confederacy was defeated and the Southern states were reunified into the United States.

From the birth of the nation in 1789 until the 1865 defeat of the Confederacy and freeing of all slaves was a total of seventy-six years.

In other words, it took 400 years to build the system of slavery in the United States and within seventy-six years after becoming a Republic, slavery was abolished and all slaves freed.

Now, there is still much work left to do to bring about the racial equality guaranteed by our Constitution.  Bias and discrimination are among the most difficult of all deadly sins to overcome.

Yet we still faced the power of evil in our history of imposed slavery and were able to stop it, then destroy it, for all time.  At great cost America resisted the dark forces of slavery, the greatest abomination of sin against the Creator, our God.  Of that we should be proud. 

Preparations begin for the newest Hurricane Season in Southern Maryland - Amid Facts and Fiction

Mandatory hurricane training begins for locals and come downers.

A Southern Maryland hurricane concert venue.

A come downer is an outsider who don't belong.

George Washington was born just across the Potomac River from here.

We don't much adhere to his tell no lies philosophy.

Two daughters of our founder married George Washington's Great Grandfather.

The bigger the flood up river the more materials we get for our homes.

Southern Maryland is an hour drive from the Confederate Capital Richmond.

Southern Maryland is the same distance to the Union Capital of Washington, DC.

On September 13, 1814 local resident Francis Scott Key wrote a poem.

When it was set to music it became The Star Spangled Banner.

It was made our national anthem in 1931.

Southern Maryland first colonists arrive 1634.

Watermen rule the waters of Southern Maryland.

  

On occasion the watermen can dress to dine.

Land for the nation's capital was donated by Southern Marylanders.

Southern Maryland was overrun twice by British troops.

In the early 20th century there was one liquor still every square mile.

The largest manhunt in history could not find John Wilkes Booth here.

Arnie?  This ain't that Hollywood.

Coltons Point is the oldest continually occupied chartered town

in the Continental United States.

Southern Maryland was the first colony in the world

guaranteeing religious freedom to all. 

CPT Prediction - UK vote on EU Brexit issue - To Remain or not to Remain

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Today the UK goes to the polls in one of the most polarizing elections in modern history (boy does that sound familiar.).  The voters must decide if the UK will remain part of the European Union.  The decision will impact on the world economy for many years to come.

UK Prime Minister David Cameron has bet his career in politics on persuading voters to remain in the EU. Pollsters show the outcome too close to call or predict.
  

As posted several days ago on LinkedIn, the Coltons Point Times predicts the UK will vote to remain in the EU on June 23.

The stock market will soar,

the Pound currency will strengthen,

and David Cameron of the UK will win election as Prime Minister again.

The Crown Jewels will be safe for another few decades.

Unfortunately, Member of Parliament and rising star Jo Cox was assassinated by a fanatic opposed to her stand in support of remaining in the EU.
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European Socialism, the Darling of the Obama White House, Bankrupting the Euro

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With the near collapse of the Greek economy and subsequent bailout from the EU partners, the IMF (International Monetary Fund) and the US Federal Reserve for a trillion dollars, the nations of Europe might get to catch their collective breath.

If ever there was a need for a clear symbol on what would happen if the Obama redistribution of wealth program got adopted, this is it. Greece goes bankrupt from the deficit burden of the socialist promise of cradle to grave care from the state. Now we find out most of the members of the European Union have far exceeded their allowed deficit and must institute emergency budget cuts.



These are some of the key features of the European style Obamacare being sought by the White House and Democrat controlled Congress.

National Health Insurance
Nationalization of certain insurance, banking and auto industry elements
Nationalization of the housing and commercial mortgage market with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac already siphoning off over a trillion dollars in taxpayer money
New restrictions on energy industry and increased global warming and environmental pressure
Creation of a futures trading market with Goldman Sachs for industrial carbon credits



There are a lot of other things they want as well but you get the general idea. Obama has often cited the socialized programs of Britain, Germany, Canada, Denmark Norway, Switzerland, Finland and the Netherlands as examples of successful socialized social programs.

For decades demographers and economists warned Europe that social welfare was doomed because of the aging of Europe's baby boomers. With most countries now achieving zero population growth, there are not sufficient youth to pay the cost of benefits to the baby boomers as they retire. Still the social welfare states kept adding to the excessive benefits over the years falling deeper and deeper in debt.



Now the nations of Europe face deep cuts and the first round of cuts came by reducing public payrolls and benefits, the least objectionable. They are not nearly enough to achieve the cuts necessary however so cuts to the social welfare programs are next and they will be painful.

Germany is the financial foundation for Europe and it is facing a $3.75 billion budget cut from it's budget. The only way to achieve it is with cuts to the nation's unemployment program, which just went through difficult cuts 5 years ago. Unemployed people under 50 years of age will get 60% of their last salary before taxes, and the benefit lasts up to a year.



Britain's new government is facing $8.6 billion in cuts mostly to government payrolls. Retirement ages to qualify for state pensions are being raised from 60 to 65 for women, and from 65 to 66 for men. The current system that allows people to remain unemployed indefinitely when not looking for work will change to require people to seek employment.

Funding for Britain's nationalized health program is safe for the time but is scheduled to increase each year until 2015. The current $360 payment to families for every newborn, intended to encourage a higher birth rate but largely unsuccessful throughout Europe will be eliminated and child tax credits reduced.



In France people can now retire at age 60 with 50% of their annual salary. The French intend to raise the retirement age like Britain and are bracing for massive union opposition like occurred in Greece.

Spain is cutting billions of dollars in state salaries next month and the socialist government has frozen increases in pensions for cost of living increases for the next two years. Assistance payments for disabled people is being cut by $375 million, the new baby bonus of $3,124.35 per baby is eliminated and the retirement age for men is being raised from 65 to 67.



Denmark and other Nordic countries have the world's highest taxes and most generous cradle to grave benefits and have moved fastest to address long term needs. As a result they also have the lowest unemployment rates and most generous benefits. Norway, whose benefits are fully funded with oil revenues, has the lowest jobless rate in Europe at 3%.

Southern European countries have the most trouble. In Greece civil servants earning over $3,750 per month will lose two extra months of salary now being paid, one at Christmas and another between Easter and summer vacation. They now have to contribute to pensions for 40 years instead of 37 and early retirement cannot be taken before age 60.



To make their cuts Portugal is raising income, corporate and sales taxes, unemployment benefits will be cut and out-of-work must accept any job that pays 10% more than they earn on unemployment.

German public education, which was free until 2005, now allows tuition fees of up to $1,250 per year. All German students pay no more than that to attend state funded universities, including the most elite schools.



The most expensive and elite universities in Britain like Cambridge, charge $4,720 per year which is far less than the elite USA schools like Harvard that charge $35,000 per year.

These are just some of the problems being faced by the social welfare states of Europe and by the way, yes, through the Federal Reserve we are helping to bail out these countries for their excessive socialist spending. Does Obama really think after we underwrite the bailout of the European socialist nations and their failures in redistributing wealth, will we really have any wealth left to redistribute?

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