Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death

No one is mentioning how the big corporations are making us slaves to their products. Think of the people who are now slaves to RX drugs, unhealthy food, a polluted environment, incompetent leaders, 9 to 5 work that keeps us living pay check to pay check, and for some the effect of massive ineaquality. I have thought about getting my pitchfork and killing those who make our lives seem like a constant struggle to just survive. Corporations don't give a crap about how we are treated as long as the shareholders. Isn't this the ongoing legacy of the entitled and wealthy going about their privileged lives while their subjects suffer?
 

It's incredible to me that in this day and age, anybody would be trying to find some justification for the horror of slavery. The nonsense about the slaves loving the dear old plantation, the useful skills they were taught, etc., sounds like a desperate attempt to justify a monstrous wrong.

Thomas Sowell has long been known as a proponent of the far right.
 
Pepper said:
What "Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death" means to me:

In my quest to be free, if it is necessary to kill as many of you as I can to obtain it, I will. If I die in the attempt, while killing as many of you as I can then I will die. I will not give my life willingly, I'm going to take you with me. If I can. If I die, it's better than being your slave.

We are going against American History in denying this. It is treasonous to teach otherwise. It is not necessary to teach it at all to the younger grades. In my sixth grade history book the word slavery is barely mentioned. Black or n.e.g.r.o. certainly isn't.
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I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death! --Patrick Henry. That speech was delivered in church. He was speaking of his own death, not of murdering others. For Pete's sake!
 

gruntlabor said:
I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death! --Patrick Henry. That speech was delivered in church. He was speaking of his own death, not of murdering others. For Pete's sake!
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You are right, of course. A nice patriotic line, but I don't know how close Henry actually was to losing his life, or how close he thought he was. I have always been more impressed with Nathan Hale's "I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country." said amongst his last words before the British executed him. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nathan_Hale It is a bit controversial, but I think he did say something like that.

I have wondered if we were actually faced with the choice how many of us would choose death over enslavement. Today I think I would, but that is probably due to my age. When I was younger I'd like to say I would have... but am not sure.

Historically many choose enslavement. For example lots of the Gauls Julius Caesar captured did. And many of our American slaves did as well. Not too important I guess, its more important to keep anyone from having to make such an awful choice again.
 
Alligatorob said:
You are right, of course. A nice patriotic line, but I don't know how close Henry actually was to losing his life, or how close he thought he was. I have always been more impressed with Nathan Hale's "I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country." said amongst his last words before the British executed him. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nathan_Hale It is a bit controversial, but I think he did say something like that.

I have wondered if we were actually faced with the choice how many of us would choose death over enslavement. Today I think I would, but that is probably due to my age. When I was younger I'd like to say I would have... but am not sure.

Historically many choose enslavement. For example lots of the Gauls Julius Caesar captured did. And many of our American slaves did as well. Not too important I guess, its more important to keep anyone from having to make such an awful choice again.
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:) I know, liberty or death sounds like bad acting, but it might have been pretty risky at that time to be saying those words in public. But as you say, there's no comparing them to Nathan Hale's last words. There was a rope around his neck.
 
I think it's important for blacks to know the full history of slavery, and not just the part of it's occurrence to blacks in America. Being singled out may make some feel it's personal, when in fact they were just vulnerable to the practice of slavery at that time in history.
 
Jamala said:
"Give me liberty..or give me death"

There is a lot of doubt that Patrick Henry said those words.
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You are right, its a lot more likely Nathan Hale said something akin to what he is credited with. Sources much closer to the time, including Hale's British executioners say so.

Here is what Wikipedia says about Henry's famous quote:

Over forty years after Patrick Henry delivered his speech and eighteen years after his death, biographer William Wirt published a posthumous reconstruction of the speech in his 1817 work Sketches of the Life and Character of Patrick Henry. This is the version of the speech as it is widely known today and was reconstructed based on the recollections of elderly witnesses many decades later. A scholarly debate persists among colonial historians as to what extent Wirt or others invented parts of the speech including its famous closing words.

None the less it does make a great part of our founding mythology.

Next your going to tell me George Washington didn't really chop down that cherry tree, or if he did he didn't admit to it...
 
Alligatorob said:
You are right, its a lot more likely Nathan Hale said something akin to what he is credited with. Sources much closer to the time, including Hale's British executioners say so.

Here is what Wikipedia says about Henry's famous quote:

Over forty years after Patrick Henry delivered his speech and eighteen years after his death, biographer William Wirt published a posthumous reconstruction of the speech in his 1817 work Sketches of the Life and Character of Patrick Henry. This is the version of the speech as it is widely known today and was reconstructed based on the recollections of elderly witnesses many decades later. A scholarly debate persists among colonial historians as to what extent Wirt or others invented parts of the speech including its famous closing words.

None the less it does make a great part of our founding mythology.

Next your going to tell me George Washington didn't really chop down that cherry tree, or if he did he didn't admit to it...
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Yep, you are darn right… I am! Here’s the real story:

When Washington was six years old he received a hatchet as a gift and damaged his father's cherry tree. When his father discovered what he had done, he became angry and confronted him. Young George bravely said, “I cannot tell a lie…I did cut it with my hatchet.” Washington’s father embraced him and rejoiced that his son’s honesty was worth more than a thousand trees.
 
Paco Dennis said:
No one is mentioning how the big corporations are making us slaves to their products. Think of the people who are now slaves to RX drugs, unhealthy food, a polluted environment, incompetent leaders, 9 to 5 work that keeps us living pay check to pay check, and for some the effect of massive ineaquality. I have thought about getting my pitchfork and killing those who make our lives seem like a constant struggle to just survive. Corporations don't give a crap about how we are treated as long as the shareholders. Isn't this the ongoing legacy of the entitled and wealthy going about their privileged lives while their subjects suffer?
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Hello, Paco. :)

I had a long reply to your post here, but it's telling me my paragraphs are too long!
 
Pepper said:
I am so sorry you deleted, I would very much like to know what you had to say.
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Kind of you to say, but I simply could not get it to post. I say "deleted", but what it amounted to was giving up after trying to cut paragraph lengths. :D

I do tend to be verbose, so it was a long message.... but I don't get this arbitrary paragraph length rule.....
 
VaughanJB said:
Hello, Paco. :)

I had a long reply to your post here, but it's telling me my paragraphs are too long!
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Darn. I would really like to hear your ideas! Please, if you get inspired, lets have a dialogue about this angle of slavery. I know it is a strong word to use for the injustice the rich and powerfuls' control over our choices. Ralph Nader knew this and fought for the consumer/masses. If slavery is better than death, being damaged by the oppressive dictates of the owners of our goods and services is what our lives are, and most of us go right along with it. Even believing they are enhancing our lives. It is still a human rights issue, and IMO it is getting worse.
 
Paco Dennis said:
I am wondering if saved what you wrote? If so, maybe you could send parts of it at a time and I can respond...of course others can post their ideas on this angle of slavery. :)
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Turns out you can post "long paragraphs" in PM's. :)

I have messaged the comment to you.

RadishRose said:
https://www.grammarly.com/blog/paragraph-structure/

Maybe this will help. 🌹
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Perhaps. But then isn't that making an assumption that I've done something incorrect, merely based on the arbitrary rules applied in this forum? I guess I'm just surprised at how many people seem to struggle if a paragraph is longer than 5 lines. A testament to the problem of attention span in the modern world, I guess. :D
 
Southern whites have a problem- the history of slavery. Instead of idolized sweeping vistas of plantation life, the evils of slavery tarnish that history. Instead of the number of one's slaves being an indication of wealth and social standing; today, it's an indication of abuse, coercion, and inhumanity. It's hard to explain to your kids why one's ancestors held slaves.
 
fuzzybuddy said:
Southern whites have a problem- the history of slavery. Instead of idolized sweeping vistas of plantation life, the evils of slavery tarnish that history. Instead of the number of one's slaves being an indication of wealth and social standing; today, it's an indication of abuse, coercion, and inhumanity. It's hard to explain to your kids why one's ancestors held slaves.
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Always look for the money. That's always the basis. The love of it truly the root of all evil. Kids must learn truth and learn it young.
 
Chet said:
I think it's important for blacks to know the full history of slavery, and not just the part of it's occurrence to blacks in America. Being singled out may make some feel it's personal, when in fact they were just vulnerable to the practice of slavery at that time in history.
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When something happens to you or your family, you take it personally because it is, in fact, personal.
 
Chet said:
I think it's important for blacks to know the full history of slavery, and not just the part of it's occurrence to blacks in America. Being singled out may make some feel it's personal, when in fact they were just vulnerable to the practice of slavery at that time in history.
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What makes you think "they" don't know? Of course "they" know; "they" know as much as anyone else! for goodness sake.
 
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