THE black slaves were the backbone of America’s economy in the days of slavery.
Outstanding slaves in sport and entertainment were taken as far as Europe to entertain the whites of those lands.
These included wrestlers, musicians, horse trainers, chicken fighters, dancers and prostitutes.
The blacks who were field hands would contribute greatly to the American economy by planting and harvesting the white man’s crop for no reward or salary.
Their labour was counted as that of cattle that, after working for man, seek nothing but to forage and drink water.
However, their contribution was large and would earn America its key revenues for centuries to come.
When the whites acquired the black slaves from Africa, they subsequently acquired much knowledge and skill from those same captives.
The blacks knew how to cultivate and even make certain tools that they used in their own lands. When forced to work on the fields in America, the blacks would invent tools that made it easier for them to work and would lighten their burden.
Once a slave improved a tool or invented one which was efficient, the other slaves would copy and produce that tool because it lightened their burden at work.
By these means, many tools and utensils were taken from Africa and brought to America by the slaves. The drums, wooden spoons, pumpkin cups, and stringed instruments of Africa would be reproduced in America.
There was also a lot of agricultural equipment that was improved by the slaves as they worked.
They would design and make tongs, folks, hooks and other variations of the shovel to improve their efficiency in certain tasks.
Though modern tools seem Western now, it was during the time of slavery that some of them were invented and standardised.
Necessity is the mother of invention and it was the black slaves who were in need of such tools.
Thus, it was the black slaves who invented and improved on them.
The blacks were stereotyped by whites and would be viewed as men who knew nothing but how to dance, sing and work. The horse was in many cases treated better than the black man.
The slaves would rear the horses, train them and fix their shoes.
However, the slaves were not allowed to ride the horses except as chariot drivers moving the master from one place to another.
Riding a horse in those days was prestigious and would be equivalent to driving a personal car today. Thus, it was not permitted for a slave to be seen riding a horse.
However, driving a chariot was a job that they gave to slaves because the prestige would go to the white master who is being chauffeured and not the slave.
Many slaves were blacksmiths and this was an important profession during that time.
Many tools were made of iron and the black slaves were quick learners who knew how to work metal well. The blacks made horse shoes and tools for farming.
Blacks were also used in the railway construction projects across America.
They would later be joined by the Chinese who would also be brought to America to labour.
The Chinese came to America not as slaves but as hired men and contract workers.
However, while in America they faced a lot of racism and the conditions of their labour and accommodation were compromised by the whites.
For example, when constructing the railroads, the white overseers would sometimes secretly explode dynamite sticks and injure or kill many Chinese workers for fun.
The Chinese would also be segregated against and they were often mocked by the whites for keeping their pony tails.
Most of the early Chinese nationals came to America to construct railways and they remember this period as a time of oppression and humiliation at the hands of the whiteman.
However, it was the black people who endured the full wrath of the whiteman’s wickedness.
The black slaves were referred to as “niggers” so many times that in the end the word was synonymous with the word “slave.”
Black slaves were also sometimes referred to as “Sambo” which ironically, among the Naga people of Asia, means “God.”
The other derogatory terms used by whites in reference to blacks in those days include, ‘jig’, ‘coon’, ‘darkie’, ‘monkey’ and ‘boy.’
The black slaves were forced to answer or respond to the derogatory names when called by the white masters.
If they showed that they had taken offense, they risked being punished. This is no different from colonial Rhodesia when grown up black men, were referred to as ‘boys’ by the whiteman.
Because the word was used so often it is not unusual to hear Zimbabweans describe themselves as ‘mabhoyi’ in the same manner black Americans freely call themselves ‘niggas.’
Apart from doing menial jobs, being engaged as prostitutes, wrestlers, chicken fighters, blacksmiths and so on, blacks were trained to be preachers.
The white slave masters demanded that their slaves go to church every Sunday.
This is where they would be brainwashed and conditioned to view the world from the whiteman’s point of view.
The slave master from time to time would join the black congregation to make sure the religious message being delivered was acceptable.
The white master was aware that a black preacher preaching white doctrine to a black congregation is more believable than a white preacher.
If any of the preachers were exceedingly influential, they would even become missionaries who served the interests of the whiteman.
The blacks were illiterate and all they saw in the churches were crosses and pictures of a white saviour. They also saw images of white angels who were often depicted as females with wings.
Western Christianity was and still is a very destructive tool which is used to brainwash the black man. The situation has changed little today.
Blacks in America are still engaged in menial jobs, preaching and entertainment.
The scars of slavery are still fresh and they run deep in the black American society. Like in post-colonial Africa, black Americans are dogmatic Christians who pray and bow to a white Jesus and a white God. They hate themselves and continue to worship the God of their enslavers.