I wanted to throw out some history that has nearly been lost. the story of Wentworth Cheswell, he rode that night with the same task as Paul Revere. the first african-american to hold public office.
highly educated holding a theological degree he was pastor of many churches incuding white churches.
http://www.wallbuilders.com/LIBissuesArticles.asp?id=20990his story has nearly been lost because it doesn't fit the mold of those writting the history books that this country is racist and all of our ancestors owned slaves. NOT TRUE! in 1774 Rhode Island petitioned king george III to abolish slavery, in 1776 conn, mass, and vermont did likewise the king said NO. (he was porbably making bank from taxing all the profits the merchant men were bringing in from the slave trade)
we were all told in school we fought the war for independance over taxation, that wasn't the only reason, the founding fathers were deeply christian in thier views and many were abolishionists. hold up a copy of the decaration of indepenance and point out the slave owners. every body gets one right Thomas Jefferson, now name another?
there is one event in history that brought about the end of slavery worldwide and that was the american revolutionary war. many, many blacks fought in this war both as free man and slave, many were freed after and during the fighting. they had 'skin in the game', one died in defense of his former owner. Lambert 'Lambo' Latham. read his story here
http://www.wallbuilders.com/LIBissuesArticles.asp?id=135it took another hundred years to finally abolish slavery, there were fights in the senate well over this. senators beating each other with canes. (ya know I might pay to see that today, mitch and harry in a steel cage match)
