hey People of this Planet! ...where were We The People .. ah oh yea ,about 234 yrs ago ? when Our Fellows were asking 4 ... We The People's ....help ! ... that either we go up together or we go down together don't u think it's ...Time 2 make America what it ought 2 b.
By | Associated Press – 12 hrs ago
Valerie Cunningham, who wrote a history of slavery in Portsmouth, noted that the petitioners weren't asking for money, nor were they just asking for their own freedom; they were asking the state to abolish slavery altogether.
234 years later, NH slaves are granted freedom
By | Associated Press – 12 hrs ago- View PhotoAssociated Press/Jim Cole, File - FILE - In this Feb. 14, 2013 file photo, Democratic New Hampshire Gov. Maggie Hassan delivers her Budget Address to the Legislature at the Statehouse in Concord, N.H. Hassan
PORTSMOUTH, N.H. (AP) — Fourteen slaves who petitioned the New Hampshire Legislature
for their freedom during the Revolutionary War were granted posthumous
emancipation Friday when the governor signed a largely symbolic bill
that supporters hope will encourage future generations to pursue social justice.
A group of 20 slaves who had fought in the war submitted a petition to the New Hampshire General Assembly
on Nov. 12, 1779, while the war was still being fought. They argued
that the freedom being sought by colonists should be extended to them,
as well, and maintained that "public tyranny and slavery are alike
detestable to minds conscious of the equal dignity of human nature."
"Their plea fell on deaf ears," Gov. Maggie Hassan
said before signing the bill emancipating the 14, who were never freed.
"It is a source of deep shame that our predecessors didn't honor this
request. But today, more than 230 years too late for their petition, we
say that freedom truly is an inherent right not to be surrendered."
The original petition was found
in state archives nearly 30 years ago, but supporters pushed lawmakers
to pass the bill this year in part to bring attention to an
African-American burial ground in downtown Portsmouth, where the city is
raising money to build a memorial park to commemorate the site. The
remains of six African slaves were discovered at the site several years ago during routine street improvements.
Excerpts from the 1779 petition
will be etched in stone and be part of the park. Together with the park
and the nearby Seacoast African American Cultural Center, the bill
signed Friday is part of a lengthy journey to ensure that today's
children and future generations understand the region's history, said Portsmouth Mayor Eric Spear. Slavery existed in New Hampshire
as early as the mid-1600s and was concentrated in Portsmouth. In 1857,
four years before the start of the Civil War, the Legislature passed a
law stating that "No person, because of descent, should be disqualified
from becoming a citizen of the state."
"When you think about slavery as 'down there' or 'over there,' it has
a distance that doesn't make it as real," Spear said. "All the future
residents are going to know a little bit more about their own history,
their own land and how slavery was a part of that."
Tom Watson, president of the Portsmouth Athenaeum,
said the bill signing was important for several reasons, including the
simple act of righting a wrong. It also serves a reminder of
contributions that African-Americans have made to the state.
"The public acknowledgement of our mistakes is really the first step
in the process of reconciliation that all societies must go through if
they're going to address injustice," he said.Valerie Cunningham, who wrote a history of slavery in Portsmouth, noted that the petitioners weren't asking for money, nor were they just asking for their own freedom; they were asking the state to abolish slavery altogether.
"Let's celebrate today with the expectation that this symbolic act will remind us to continue working for social justice here in the Granite State," she said.
No comments:
Post a Comment