I want to apologize for Slavery.
Well, the REVEREND Al Sharpton found out that Strom Thurmond’s Great-great-great-great-great Uncle once owned some slaves. And this relative of Thurmond’s was named Sharpton! So, now we, white folks, are suppose to apologize to the world for slavery. I have done some research and my relatives have been in this country since the late 1600’s. As far as I know no one in my family ever owned a single slave. But, just to be fair about it I want to apologize for the treatment of slaves in this country. Although I am not quite sure just to whom I am apologizing, since there is no one now alive who was a slave in the 1800's. At least I don't think so.
Dear Reverends Jackson, Sharpton, and the Folks at the NAACP.
Hello. I want to take this opportunity to personally apologize to all Black and Brown people for Slavery, and for the fact that one or more of their ancestors might have once been held in slavery without their permission. My family did not own any slaves as far as I know. I understand that this is no excuse. Since I am a white Southern male, I must be guilty of something. I don’t know everything about my ancestors, and we do have some shady characters lurking in our family tree . My great-grandfather, on my father’s side once owned a large farm in Virginia. I understand that he worked this farm using sharecroppers for labor. Come to think of it sharecroppers were just like slaves except they were not treated quite as well and I think these sharecroppers were white people as the mountains of western Virginia never had very many Black people residing there to start with. He made moonshine liquor, too, I understand.
Any way, I digress. I am truely, deeply sorry, and I am personally mortified that there were slaves held in this country up until about 1865. While I had no personal hand in this tragedy at the time, rest assured that had I been around then, and had I known about slavery, I would have urged in the strongest of language that an immediate stop be put to this practice. Please accept my sincere apology and my assurance that I will never, ever own any slaves, black, white, oriental or mixed race. Slavery is wrong. Again, I am sorry.
Respectfully,
A Decendent of Former Non-Slave Owners
P.S.
By the way, my ancestors on my mother’s side came from Lancashire, England. They were Lancasters, but not the rich kind of Lancasters. These were serfs of the Earl of Lancaster. In the Middle Ages these folks worked on the Earl’s estate and they took his title as their surname. Example: Bill from Lancashire became Bill Lancaster. For their work my ancestors received no money. They were allowed to build a small hut on the Earl’s land. They could till a very small piece of land for food, and they could pick up any limbs that blew down from the Earl’s trees to use as firewood. In turn for this bounty, my ancestors were allowed to work the Earl’s fields from sun to sun, every day but Sunday. They served in his personal army, and they gave their lives for him. When my ancestors died, they were buried in unmarked graves on the Earl’s land, and their belongings reverted to the Earl of Lancaster’s estate. Also, the Earl got to name their children at birth. Because of this, my ancestor Lancasters left England and came to America for a better life. They were indentured servants, here. They had to work for free for seven years to pay off their passage across the Atlantic.
I am waiting for my apology for the treatment of my ancestors to arrive from the Queen of England. It should be here any day, now. You know how slow the overseas post can be.
A. D. O. F.N.S.O
Well, the REVEREND Al Sharpton found out that Strom Thurmond’s Great-great-great-great-great Uncle once owned some slaves. And this relative of Thurmond’s was named Sharpton! So, now we, white folks, are suppose to apologize to the world for slavery. I have done some research and my relatives have been in this country since the late 1600’s. As far as I know no one in my family ever owned a single slave. But, just to be fair about it I want to apologize for the treatment of slaves in this country. Although I am not quite sure just to whom I am apologizing, since there is no one now alive who was a slave in the 1800's. At least I don't think so.
March 9, 2007
Dear Reverends Jackson, Sharpton, and the Folks at the NAACP.
Hello. I want to take this opportunity to personally apologize to all Black and Brown people for Slavery, and for the fact that one or more of their ancestors might have once been held in slavery without their permission. My family did not own any slaves as far as I know. I understand that this is no excuse. Since I am a white Southern male, I must be guilty of something. I don’t know everything about my ancestors, and we do have some shady characters lurking in our family tree . My great-grandfather, on my father’s side once owned a large farm in Virginia. I understand that he worked this farm using sharecroppers for labor. Come to think of it sharecroppers were just like slaves except they were not treated quite as well and I think these sharecroppers were white people as the mountains of western Virginia never had very many Black people residing there to start with. He made moonshine liquor, too, I understand.
Any way, I digress. I am truely, deeply sorry, and I am personally mortified that there were slaves held in this country up until about 1865. While I had no personal hand in this tragedy at the time, rest assured that had I been around then, and had I known about slavery, I would have urged in the strongest of language that an immediate stop be put to this practice. Please accept my sincere apology and my assurance that I will never, ever own any slaves, black, white, oriental or mixed race. Slavery is wrong. Again, I am sorry.
Respectfully,
A Decendent of Former Non-Slave Owners
P.S.
By the way, my ancestors on my mother’s side came from Lancashire, England. They were Lancasters, but not the rich kind of Lancasters. These were serfs of the Earl of Lancaster. In the Middle Ages these folks worked on the Earl’s estate and they took his title as their surname. Example: Bill from Lancashire became Bill Lancaster. For their work my ancestors received no money. They were allowed to build a small hut on the Earl’s land. They could till a very small piece of land for food, and they could pick up any limbs that blew down from the Earl’s trees to use as firewood. In turn for this bounty, my ancestors were allowed to work the Earl’s fields from sun to sun, every day but Sunday. They served in his personal army, and they gave their lives for him. When my ancestors died, they were buried in unmarked graves on the Earl’s land, and their belongings reverted to the Earl of Lancaster’s estate. Also, the Earl got to name their children at birth. Because of this, my ancestor Lancasters left England and came to America for a better life. They were indentured servants, here. They had to work for free for seven years to pay off their passage across the Atlantic.
It was worse on my father's side. They were Irish.
I am waiting for my apology for the treatment of my ancestors to arrive from the Queen of England. It should be here any day, now. You know how slow the overseas post can be.
A. D. O. F.N.S.O
posted by Conservatoid at 1:44 PM
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