BlogAt the Crossroads of Liberty and CommercePosted May 30th, 2011 by Thomas Norman DeWolf
We’ve also examined “colored” records (marriages, etc) that were kept separate from those of white people — much as everything else was kept separate; at least on the surface. The effort to maintain the appearance of separation in records, cemeteries, accommodations, and so on, did not prevent co-mingling when it came to making babies (a difficult subject that I’m certain we’ll deal with more fully in the future). Sharon, as with the vast majority of black people whose families date back to the days of slavery in the United States, is descended from both black and white people. Wherever we go on this journey, I’m struck by the hypocrisy, cognitive dissonance, and virtual insanity that resided in the minds of white people that embraced, supported, and benefited from, the system of slavery. I first read official slave records in a town named Liberty. Seriously? Liberty? Our nation’s founding documents proclaim that all men are created equal. Of course that was a lie. The men who engaged in the enslavement of others were focused on personal gain, not liberty.
A quarter mile past the crossroad, I stopped the car, turned around, and returned to gaze at the most ironic signpost I believe I’ve ever come across. Robert Johnson made no deal with the devil at the crossroads near Liberty. White men did. I can’t stop thinking about the bullet holes in the stop sign. |
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