There may have been some truth to that statement based on practical considerations of the time. Taking on the Brits was no small undertaking, but it does not address the fundamental inconsistency of the colonists' rationale in seeking liberty and freedom for themselves as an inherent right while not granting it to their own slaves. They even had to fight a long and difficult war to obtain those rights but had the power to free their own slaves at anytime if they had so desired. The repercussions for future generations is all too apparent - civil war and racial divisions to this day. Just think how much differently race relations might have played out if, as a result of american independence, all slaves had been freed in 1776.
I'm not gonna let you bait me into this one
Your right- what might have been the repercussions- we may have lost war. They were spread thin as it was, the mission was disjointed and by all odds, we shouldn't have pulled it out- but somehow we did- with the help from the French and in the end, we set up a pretty doggone good country- perhaps if the English had won, perhaps the slave trade may have continued or the rights of minorities been denied- again, I ask everyone's pardon as I am not very well versed in the history of minority rights in Europe in the 18th- Century- this may very well not have been the case. Good, bad or indifferent, this was a task of unity and in order for this to succeed colonies like Virginia and South Carolina were needed and in the interest of expediency, concessions had to be made to appease them.
Either way, at times concessions have to be made- I am not saying I support slavery or any of that so don't ANYONE try to make it sound like I do. We are trying to instill our sense of ethics or morality into the 18th century. To those people, we would probably be seen as heathens given the state of dispute between church and state these days. To them, it would probably seem hypocritical that we write "In God we trust" on our currency yet have laws all across public places that are religion neutral.
And perhaps, without the efforts of the Revolution, we would not be able to enjoy the freedom to think and pursue ideas in a free and democratic way- perhaps we would still be stuck in a pseudo-English class society whereas the societal elite are the only ones who enjoy the freedoms we can all cherish today.
I dunno. It is what it is- I do believe that in the shows- especially in Episode one, they do show several black laborers on the docks of Mass working side by side with white laborers. I just think the issue of slavery and rights are similar to some of the hot button issues we have today- like gun rights, the rights of individuals engaged in alternative lifestyles, etc- no one can seem to come to a solution that satisfied everyone and in absence of that solution, nothing is done and the poor guy in the persecuted group continues to suffer- as, arguably in the end, everyone does.
Again, I am not mad or anything but I just feel like this could touch off some fireworks- I would be more than happy to discuss via PM in respect of TF's forum. I am in no way defending the position, I just believe it has to be looked at in the context of the time in which the events took place.
