“We Was Turned Out”

How American business still has a slave owner mindset

Slaves in the South Library of Congress

With the faltering economy due to the pandemic, it seems the elite in America is still infected with destructive thinking. It is a sad thing that it has been over 150 years since slavery and over 50 years since the civil rights act was signed into law that America and American capitalism is still struggling with ownership, caste, and equity. Even since emancipation and with our current society eschewing racial disparity verbally, there continue to be rationalizations by some about slavery and the mindset of ownership. How often have you heard, “they were treated well,” “they were better off in America than in Africa,” or “if you want a better life get another job or more education.”

After the end of slavery, the Federals promoted the idea that by freeing the slaves they had established a kinder gentler form of servitude that included wages. However, a study of the life for workers after the Civil War would show extreme child labor, no rights for women, mistreatment of minorities, and persecution of homosexuals. The attitude of the factory owners toward workers was similar to that of the slave owner but with no guaranteed shelter, sick time, or daily rations. Some workers were locked behind bars, or cages to ensure the employer they wouldn’t take a break and there were few if any safety…