Reply #31: That surely deserves mention, gantoline [View All]

From 1619 to 1865, countless Africans lived their entire lives as slaves, torn away from everything they had ever known, forced to endure a horrific voyage across the sea, sold to whomever without any say in the matter (if their owner happened to be a sadist, they had no legal recourse), working their whole lives and knowing that nothing they could do would ever improve their lives or their children's lives.

No wonder owners complained about slaves being "lazy." Why would you work hard for someone who didn't pay you, knowing that you and your children would always be slaves, no matter what?

Looking at the dates, I realize that the U.S. (or what later became the U.S.) had slavery for 236 years, while it has been outlawed for only 140.

Oh, and by the way, welcome to DU!