Myths of American Slavery [Hardcover]

Walter Kennedy (Author), Bob Harrison (Foreword)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1589800478 | ISBN-13: 978-1589800472 | Publication Date: January 31, 2003 | Edition: 1St Edition

Myths of American Slavery is not a defense of slavery but instead a sincere attempt to defeat the spread of misinterpretations and misrepresentations that continue to bedevil race relations and contaminate Americaís political landscape.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

From one of the authors of the influential bestseller The South Was Right! comes Myths of American Slavery--an unbiased history of one of the most controversial institutions affecting the United States. Over time, a host of incorrect and unjust myths about slavery have attained the widely accepted credence of historical fact, including slavery was a purely Southern institution; the church condemned slavery as a sin; slavery was uncommon and had negligible economic impact in Northern states; racial discrimination and segregation are legacies of Southern slavery. Myths of American Slavery is not a defense of slavery but instead a sincere attempt to defeat the spread of misinterpretations and misrepresentations and expose the true historical facts about American slavery. "When Donnie informed me of his decision to write a book on the truth about American slavery, I was immediately intrigued." --from the foreword by Bob Harrison Armed with an open mind and a wealth of historical sources, Walter D. Kennedy tackles the most common misconceptions and misrepresentations about slavery in America. Indeed, one of the first issues he addresses is the extent to which slavery flourished and persisted throughout North America, not just in the Southern states. Far from defending the unjust practice of human slavery, Mr. Kennedy calls for and contributes to a clear-eyed examination of this ancient, and regrettably ongoing, worldwide injustice. Fans of the Kennedy brothers, supporters of their best-selling book, The South Was Right!, or any person dedicated to discovering the truth behind the hearsay that often masquerades as history will applaud the publication of Myths of American Slavery.

About the Author

Descendants of Civil War soldiers, twin brothers James Ronald Kennedy and Walter Donald Kennedy have held posts with the Sons of Confederate Veterans for several years. Both also are founding members of the League of the South. In their spare time, the brothers enjoy participating in reenactments of Civil War battles. They are also the authors of The South Was Right! and Why Not Feedom!: America's Revolt Against Big Government, both published by Pelican.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Pelican Publishing; 1St Edition edition (January 31, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1589800478
• ISBN-13: 978-1589800472
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 5.9 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #618,046 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

157 of 190 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Eye-opening book, December 6, 2003

By 

Michael Freeman (Blanchard, OK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Myths of American Slavery (Hardcover)

First, everyone must understand that this book is NOT in any way, shape, or form, a defense of slavery. The author, as well as I, is fully against the institution of slavery as it existed in both the Southern and Northern United States.

However, there are myriad falsehoods regarding slavery that are perpetrated by both revisionist historians and by the liberal (and sometimes conservative, unfortunately) establishment. This book attempts to address many of those falsehoods. Some of them are:

1. Slavery was a "Southern" institution. (Actually, most of the slave trade was conducted by Northerners, and Northerners owned slaves too.

2. Slavery was an attempt solely by the white race to subjugate the black race. (Actually, slave owners were white, black, AND red, and slaves themselves were black, white, AND red).

3. The Civil war was waged by the Northerners to defeat slavery, and the Southerners were motivated solely by a desire to protect slavery. (Actually, slavery was not the major cause of the war on either side. "States rights" indeed were the major issue; slavery was merely the trigger issue.)

4. The Northern Abolitionists were motivated by goodwill toward blacks. (Actually, anti-black sentiment and racism was much more widespread in the North than in the South. Slavery was abolished in the North not because of any moral superiority, but primarily because whites wanted to protect jobs for white laborers.)

5. Abraham Lincoln, the "Great Emancipator," was a friend of the black race. (Actually, Lincoln was a racist who believed (and publicly stated this belief) in the superiority of the white race. Lincoln trampled on the Constitution, going so far as to have his political enemies arrested without warrants of any sort, and held in jail without allowing them legal counsel as guaranteed by the Constitution.)

I could go on and on. I HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone even remotely interested in the issue of slavery, whether you're white or black (or any other color). What is really scary is looking at the parallels between the Radical/Northern Abolitionists and the Liberal Establishment of today. The success of each has lead to both political and civil slavery that is rampant even today (the author discusses this too).

120 of 145 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Time to open our eyes, March 4, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Myths of American Slavery (Hardcover)

As early as elementary school we are taught the war was fought over the "peculiar institution." Unfortunately this falsehood is accepted for a number of reasons 1.) It fits our soundbite intellects because it's a short, simple explanation 2.) It's gratifying to the guilt complex of the liberal establishment in academia 3.) It glorifies our desire to make our government an idol worthy of our worship and service 4.) It ennobles the real father of our American empire, Abraham Lincoln
UNFORTUNATELY IT IS NOT TRUE
Irish-born Confederate General Patrick Cleburne said during the war, "If the South should lose, it means that the history of this heroic struggle will be written by the enemy. That our youth will be trained by Northern school teachers, will be impressed by all of the influences of history and education to regard our gallant dead as traitors and our maimed veterans as fit subjects for derision."
This is certainly the case now. Northern revisionists have distorted the causes for which the southern soldier fought and died during the horrible conflict. In an attempt to justify and cover up the North's true motives for waging the war they have indoctrinated young students in the South with a biased and often inaccurate account of the War Between the States. The war was not fought for the perpetuation or emancipation of slaves. The conflict was a struggle between those who desired a confederation of independent and autonomous states to those who desired a strong federal government. Southerners only desired the rights which had been penned by their forefathers in the constitution. The southern soldier fought not to retain their slaves (93% of southerners owned no slaves at the start of the war), but for their independence. They believed they had the right to secede. Each state had of its own free will entered the Union. Should it not, if so desired, have the right to withdraw also. And, after all, had not America seceded from Britain?
The Declaration of Independence states that when the government ceases to draw its power from the consent of the governed that, "...it is the right of the people to abolish it, and to institute a new government..."

By 1861 the South was contributing 80% of the country's revenue through trade with Britian and recieving next to nothing in return. This, and the South's ever slipping grip on states' rights was what inspired the South to fight for its independenece. Now that we have covered the TRUE reasons for the War Between the States, lets look at a few facts...

1.) As mentioned earlier 93% of southern families owned no slaves at the outbreak of the war.
2.) Lincoln, in his inaugural address and throughout the war, stated that he had no desire to free the slaves and he felt he had, "no lawful right to do so." (inaugural speech)
3.) Were the slave states remaining in the Union fighting to abolish slavery, even as it flourished within their own borders?

3.) What slaves did the Emancipation Proclamation free? Hmmm...the slaves in the states of rebellion! Did Lincoln really expect the Confederacy to free the slave because he told them to? Why did he choose not to free the slaves in the territories? It was a shrewd political move to incite slave rebellions in the South and to discourage Europe from providing aid to the South.
4.) The glorious Unioin general U.S. Grant, and future president, owned slaves until the end of the war. He said concerning the war, "If I thought this war was to abolish slavery, I would resign my commission and offer my sword to the other side."
5.) After Lincoln's issue of the Emancipation Proclamation, whole regiments like the 101st Illinois refused to fight. Enlistments went down, desertions went up, and northerners were furious at Lincoln (emancipation meant millions of slaves would come north!).
6.) Modern historians now estimate that 13,000 blacks saw combat in the Confederate army. Thousands more served as cooks, teamsters, and body servants. Are we to believe that these men would fight to preserve the institution that kept them in bondage?

I could go on and on and refute the pittiful arguments that claim the war was fought over slavery. You have to take the responsibility to read and learn for yourself. Please don't take my word for it! Research the causes for yourself and read about black confederates. Don't be misled by ignorant people who have little knowledge or understanding of the war and its causes!

59 of 75 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars New Information for a New Generation, July 21, 2005

By 

Confederate (Bethesda, MD) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Myths of American Slavery (Hardcover)

In the illiterate minds of today's rising generation, some of which are represented here, this is indeed startling and explosive news that goes against everything they've been taught. Nevertheless, much of what Kennedy reveals is old hat to "civil war" buffs and historians. (The lesson here is: Never get your facts from a text book.)

When I listen to today's black leaders demanding reparations, I just laugh, but it's a bitter laugh. Just how much would be enough to right the wrongs of American slavery? A hundred dollars per person of black ancestery? How about a thousand? Reparationists never say how much they want; they just say that any amount isn't enough, which leaves everyone in a quandry.

The "Christian" black activists who talk more about reparations and affirmative action than Christ, ignore the Bible's declarations that the children shall not pay for the misdeeds of their forebears. They are among the "vipers" and "hypocrites" who have perverted Christianity.

And by the way, has anyone heard of the Turks, Romans and Greeks, who carried away tens of thousands of people of all colors into slavery? Has anyone heard of Spartacus, the white slave and gladiator? And then there were the white cowboys who wandered off and found themselves doing forced labor at the point of a gun while men on horseback supervised. Then there was forced duty aboard ships. Many a landlubber with a few too many to drink woke up in the holds of ships already at sea.

The authors could have written more about how American slavery compared to other world slavery throughout the ages. The institution was failing in the South because what began to dawn on plantation owners is what's dawned on our greedy corporate heads today. Contracting out the work was cheaper. That way, they didn't have to feed them or look after their medical needs, they didn't have to build quarters in which to house the slaves. And if some of them didn't work hard, they could be fired and replaced with someone else who could.

We also know the complicity of black Africans in selling other tribesmen into slavery. Yada, yada, yada.

The bottom line is that Abraham Lincoln was a tyrant and a money grubber who believed in extreme taxation for extreme government. When he put his dragon's hand upon the Bible and swore to uphold the Constitution, the 10th Amendment melted away. The story in this book is only a partial story. I recommend the excellent book, The Real Lincoln, by Thomas DiLorenzo, an Italian-American Yankee who found the roots of America in the Confederacy and the fight for independence.

Buy this book, then read more