Was Americas independence, war about freedom or resources? In history classes and textbooks, Africans were told over and over, and are still being told that the American Revolution war, which broke out in 1775 and lasted till 1783 was about freedom from Britain. But that was actually far from the truth. Its a big lie! From my personal and objective analysis of this historical event, its a deliberate misinterpretation and falsification of history by Americans! Why? Because, first, if we are to analyse the events that led to the declaration of American Independence on July 4, 1776 strictly from logical, legal and moral angles, only aboriginal inhabitants or bonafide owners of a captured or colonised territory could talk of independence or freedom from their colonisers. Its just absurd that representatives of a coloniser, who were put in charge of her colony or stolen property, could talk about freedom from her. The 8 year war was far from being a war for freedom or independence, but a treachery or rebellion against the Queen of England by her representatives. Realising the size of the territory and resources they were put in charge by the Queen, Thomas Jefferson, George Washington and their brothers in treachery, decided to revolt against Britain in order to take over the United States with her vast resources. The new and higher taxes that Britain levied on her colonies was just used as an excuse to launch a military campaign. Having taken the decision to snatch Britains colonies together with their resources, Washington, Jefferson and their band were faced with one serious problem: how to persuade African slaves to fight their dirty and treacherous war against Britain for free. They needed a very strong argument to convince African slaves to take up arms voluntarily against Britain without looking back. Thus, the idea of fighting for independence was born. Jefferson told African slaves that they were fighting for their independence! The British, in order to dissuade African slaves, not only from fighting on the side of the revolutionaries, but have them on her (the Brittan’s) side, told them (the slaves) too that if they supported her in winning the war against the revolters, they would be given their freedom. They equally capitulated on Washingtons discrimination and racial attitudes towards African slaves in his army. When the war eventually started, Africans found themselves on both sides; some believed the revolutionaries, others believed the Queen. Poor blacks were in the forefronts of the very bloody war, and were killing themselves because of the British, on both sides, who started a war to defend their selfish economic and political interests. They naively believed that at the end of the war, they would be free. But when the revolutionaries eventually defeated the British troops, Jefferson and Washington reneged on their promise to set free African slaves who fought bravely for them! As a matter of fact, its worth mentioning that the first martyr of the American Revolution, which started with the Boston massacre on March 5, 1770, was a black man by name Crispus Attucks. Neither Jefferson nor Washington even set free their African slaves after the war was over. They still needed their free labour to build America. Blacks would still remain slaves - and give out their labour for free long after the so called independence war was fought! Not until the late 60s and early 70s of the 20th century did the offspring’s of African slaves, originally shipped in chains to America were given relative equal rights with the offspring’s of the slave owners. Perhaps, the knowledge of this historical fact prompted Muhammad Ali, the legendary Afro-American boxer, to refuse to take part in the Vietnam War. Ali strongly believed that since Vietnam had never done anything to harm Afro-Americans, therefore they (black Americans) had no business fighting for America against Vietnam. He believed that the oppressors and suppressors of Afro-Americans were not the Vietnamese, but the American government. He believed that if there was anybody or a country that Afro-Americans had to go to war with, then, it should be America, the coloniser that enslaved blacks and forced them to work for free, and not Vietnam. -Bode Eluyera.
Posted on: Fri, 04 Apr 2014 18:07:54 +0000
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