Amazing Grace

[wvmike]

harre,tried pulling up your link,but wouldn't connect.Did you copy the link or type it in?

zopilote,great poster.
While not wanting to turn this into a political thread,I would like to make a few observations that I have noticed thru the years.Americans,which I am one,as a whole,do not know their history. Our youth is more interested in whats at the mall.I have been fortunate enough to have traveled some of this world to see first hand what we live on and in.I blame,maybe wrongly so,my own goverment for keeping most of the populace in the dark with their heads in the sand.We teach very little American history,no current events,and almost nil world history.Although the poster of the indians speaks volumes,what brings it to the forfront is the fact that was as little as 150 years ago or less.We can look at any countries history and find oppression or forced goverments.This is mankind.With global communication it is very easy to blast one another for their past,and in my case,their current events.Do I like my goverments involement in world affairs,for the most part no.But,we try to feed thousands of hungry people everywhere.This is also mankind.I don't have answers,and I try to find the best in people as a whole.But there is always someone who wants more.The one thing that I am always amazed about is that we don't seem to learn from our mistakes.Ok, rambling over.I think I will go put the corbin seat on my tiger.

Mike

[aeronca]

you should all read the book "the frontiersmen". it brings alot of why this country is what it is into focus. great book, long read.

[wvmike]

you should all read the book "the frontiersmen". it brings alot of why this country is what it is into focus. great book, long read.

 I have not read the frontiersman,but I have read
 A History of the American People written by Paul Johnson.It starts from day one and goes thru the Clinton administration.He writes using log books and notes from the earliest settlers and administrations,first hand accounts from family letters etc...

[ridin gaijin]

Back on topic, HappyMan, if you enjoyed that movie, you might be very interested in Simon Schama's "Rough Crossings". It's a history of the British abolitionist movement. It covers various colonies British abolitionists set up, both before and after abolition, for the freed slaves. It covers slave and ex-slave experiences in the Colonies, Canada and Liberia.

It poses a question that never occurred to me: if you were black in in America at the start of the Revolutionary War, whom would you want to win? Hint: the answer is very, very far from obvious...

Schama is a top-notch historian and also very readable. The book offers a lot of detail as well as 'big picture' context and background. Recommend!

[HappyMan]

Good input Gajin.  Thanks.  I'll check it out.

[Robbie]

is it a porno?

Damn!  No, it's about the abolition of slavery in England.

I have just shown this to my boss,

he was unaware of the situation

 :D

[HappyMan]

is it a porno?

Damn!  No, it's about the abolition of slavery in England.

I have just shown this to my boss,

he was unaware of the situation

 :D

+1  

[harre]

harre,tried pulling up your link,but wouldn't connect.Did you copy the link or type it in?

I think it was the darn dot. Try this: http://www.iearn.org/hgp/aeti/aeti-1997 ... icans.html
I guess nobody is in the position to blame another country for things in the past. Sweden has not treated our natives, the SAMI people, well either. Nevertheless, the more we travel the more we learn. Ride on, Tigers!

[Advwannabe]

Thanks for a great post Harre,

We aussies have treated our Aboriginals miserably in the past, but that doens't stop us from moralising to other countries.

In fact the slave trade goes on so called enlightened countries like the US, UK, Europe and Oz, just go check out your local red light district and you will find girls lured there by the promise of a job paying off 'loans' to try and get their passports back.

Time we all stopped turning a blind eye.

But yes Happy, Wilberforce was a great man and it is a great movie.