tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6020471.post7077101364829171905..comments2023-06-10T11:47:43.132-04:00Comments on Reverend Ref +: Sermon, Easter 4A, 1 Peter 2:(18), 19-25Reverend Ref +http://www.blogger.com/profile/12608521436386973234noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6020471.post-23121240548801731952014-05-12T12:07:58.747-04:002014-05-12T12:07:58.747-04:00Oh, I have no doubt that the whole situation could...Oh, I have no doubt that the whole situation could have been handled much better. And how President Johnson handled the end of the war and reconstruction (which didn't really reconstruct much of anything) was certainly less-than-ideal.<br /><br />I don't think the U.S. would have gotten to the point of England in granting freedom simply because the whole southern economy was built around slave labor.Reverend Ref +https://www.blogger.com/profile/12608521436386973234noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6020471.post-44242950405083174312014-05-12T11:37:32.712-04:002014-05-12T11:37:32.712-04:00Regarding the idea that this country would have be...Regarding the idea that this country would have been better off if a system had been worked out to free the slaves gradually - such a system was already in effect in England at the time of the American Revolution, which was why the British could offer freedom to any slave who joined their army.<br /><br />It took five years to gain freedom. The first year, the slave was paid one day's wage per week, but the master was still responsible for clothing, food, etc. The second year, the slave received two days wages per week, but had to provide all of their own clothing. The third year, they had to take care of their own food. And so it went.<br /><br />This system gave slaves the chance to learn to handle money, which many have never even seen before, and if they had any common sense, to purchase a bed or other pieces of furniture early on, because in a few years, they were going to have to furnish their own homes. <br /><br />When the American Civil War was over, Union soldiers simply went in and turned the slaves out of their homes. They had no skills and no money, and their owners were not about to be much help. While slavery in America was officially over, it didn't really end - it just took a different form.Lady Annehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10608765381189723792noreply@blogger.com