SOCIETIES/Black History Month

A NUBIAN REBEL (Artist Unknown)

The seventeenth century witnessed some fundamental changes in the
political, economic, and social structure of the Caribbean.

During this period you saw a dramatic shift from being mere settler
communities to exploitation colonies within the non-Hispanic sphere.

There marked a startling political change of imperial divisions when
the Dutch, French and English successfully defied the might of Spain
and established permanent strongholds which for more than a century
had been the sole and private possession of monarchs of Castille.

After 1700 Caribbean possessions change hands among European powers,
but for the most part remain cosmopolitan.

It were somewhat difficult, to give you an exact account, of the number of persons
upon the Island; there being such store of shipping that brings passengers daily
to the place, but it has been conjectur'd by those that are long acquainted, best seen
in the knowledge of the Island, that there are not less than 50 thousand souls, beside
Negroes; and some them who began upon small fortunes, are now risen to very
great vast estates.
The Island is divided into three sorts of men, Masters, Servants, and Slaves.
the slaves and their posterity, being subject to their masters for ever are
kept and preserved with greater care than the servants,who are theirs but for
five years, according to the law of the island. So that for the time, the servants
have the worse lives, for they are put to very hard labor, ill lodging, and there
diet very sleight.

Richard Ligon
True and Exact history..... of Barbadoes, 1657

The 1700 found two distinct societies living side by side. The first type were loud,
violent society of struggling settlers, prospering farmers or planters of such,
officials, merchants, suffering slaves and ambivalent free persons
of color.

These would have been considered the true colonists, who for the most part
excepted the conditions they found themselves under albeit under duress, rules
regulations and adhering to varying degrees of political design of
different imperial systems.

The second social type generated by socio-political movement of the times were
groups of individuals commonly know as trans-frontier men.

Communities of Maroons or escaped slaves, defiant and stateless Buccaneers
who represented an alternative to colonial social structure but not a threat to
organized society.

The Maroons were the most successful alternative to European colonial society.

The Maroons came about in a climate of resistance to slavery and were a
essentially communities of Africans who escaped individually and collectively.
They continued the tradition begun by the indigenous Indians.

(CORNER TALK REPORT)

CARIB - RESISTANCE/Black History Month

CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS

The last migrant group to settle in the Caribbean prior to the arrival
of the Europeans in 1492 were the Kalinago.

The Columbus mission found three native groups all of different derivation
and cultural achievements.

All three groups had entered the Caribbean from the region of South
America know as the Guianas.

These were the Ciboney, the Taino (Arawaks) and the Kalinago.

On record the Ciboney arrived about 300 B.C. followed by the Taino, ethnic
relatives, about 500 years later who by 650 A.D. had migrated northward
establishing large communities through the islands in the Greater Antilles.

Migration for the Kalinago started around 1000 A.D. and they continued to
arrive by the time Columbus's landfall.

When the Spanish arrived in the northern Caribbean, they found the Tainos already
in a defensive posture, yet later encountered the Kalinago who were much more
prepared for aggression and to wage a protracted war against the imperialist.

Both Kalinago an Tainos were well prepared for survival having inhabited the
islands for such a long time.

European colonial forces from the offset were more technologically prepared for
violent conflict due to determined maritime mobilization, capitalist finance, science
and technology and to further imperialist goals.

In the Greater Antilles, the Tainos waged a spirited military resistance campaign
although ineffective against Spanish forces. They were supported by the Kalinago.

In 1494 Columbus led a force of 400 armed men into the interior of Hispaniola
in search of gold, food and slaves. Taino Caciques mobilized for resistance.

Guacanagari, a leading Cacique marched with a few thousand men in 1494
against the spanish but was unsuccessful in the attempt.

The Spanish under Ponce de Leon were attacked frequently byTaino warriors
and many Spanish settlers were killed but the Taino and Kalinago were eventually
crushed in the counter assaults.

Taino fatalities were high and thousands were publicly executed and or killed
in the many battles.

However in the lesser Antilles Kaliinago were more successful in there campaigns
against the Spanish, and then the English and French thereby preserving their
freedom and maintaining control over their land and territory.

The Kalinago an their anti-colonial communities on the outskirts of the imperialist
slave plantations, constituted a major problem for slave owners and threatened
the very existence of colonizing missions......

(CORNER TALK REPORT)

THE PORTUGUESE/Black History Month

Twenty-five years would elapse between the first Portuguese voyages
along the northwest coast of Africa and the taking of captives at Rio do
Ouro (modern Rio de Oro) byAntao Goncalves and Nuno Tristao during
there voyage of 4141.

The Portuguese recognizing that voyages of the sort could be self-financing
and revenue generating accelerated the rate of exploration along the west
African coast.

Portuguese activities took an aggressive commercial and political turn.

By the 1450s and 1460s trade in goods and people had become commonplace.

Portuguese contacts with Africa, from Mauretania to Kongo, were primarily
commercial ventures.

The Portuguese entered a half century of peace and friendship with leaders
in sub-Saharan Africa. They established cooperative working relationships
with African middlemen and suppliers of slaves and other goods.

In the beginning being far removed from the Mediterranean supply and demand
cycle to obtain slaves from the Black Sea, Crimea, or the Caucasus, the Portuguese
were on the lookout for alternative sources for labor.

Soon attacks on Moorish vessels in the Straits of Gibraltar, transits between
Morocco and Granada and raids on Guanches, indigenous to the Canaries,
provided the Portuguese with labor.

Acts of piracy in the guise of armed offensives against non-Christians first exposed
the Portuguese to sub-Saharan blacks in transit from the Maghreb to Granada.

The African presence in Portugal

Much information has been lost due to an earthquake in 1755 which destroyed the
Casa dos Escravos de Lisboa (founded 1486) which was the section of Casa de Guine
responsible for the administration of the slave trade from West and Central Africa
the collection of duties, and the farming out of royal contracts.

Evidence which is available indicates that the number of slaves exported from upper
Guinea in the latter part of the century varied from year to year.

According to Portuguese historian Vitorino Magalhaes Godinho between 1,000 and
2,000 slaves were exported from Mauritania and the Sahel in the period 1441-48.

Establishing relations with Sudanese traders and later with traders between Senegal
and Cape Verde, these numbers increased dramatically.

The period 1450-60, there were 800 and 1,000 exports annually through Arguim.

Exports through Argium for the period 14500-1505 were not less than 25,000
or as high 40,000.

Some 5,000 slaves were estimated to have been exported from between Senagal
and Sierra Leone in the decade 14450-60 and the number doubled in the
following decade.

From 1480s 3,500 slaves were exported from the region annually, with numbers
declining in the 1490s.

Estimate number of slave exports from Africa prior to 1492 about 1,500 for
coastal Sahara; 25,000 through Arguim; 55,000 for Senegal-Sierra Leone
and 2,00 for Elmira.

Exports of 80,000 persons as slaves from areas between the Saharan littoral
and Kongo in the half century preceding Columbus's landing in the Americas.

(CORNER TALK REPORT)

BLACK HISTORY MONTH

Toussaint L'Ouverture

As a matter of record there has been many slave uprisings in history throughout South America, Mexico and the Caribbean.

It was on the plantation of Christopher Columbus's son, Diego on the island
of Hispaniola in 1522 that the first large-scale revolt of African slaves took place.

In 1546 slaves revolted in Mexico.

In Venezuela there were uprisings between 1552 and 1556.

Slavery in the Caribbean and in South America served as models for the
flesh industry that developed here in North America.



It also planted the seed for the eventual slave revolts here in North America
as many of those that were shipped here had first hand knowledge of the
uprising in the Caribbean..

Slavery officially began in the British Colonies in North America, August
1619.

A Dutch vessel traveling from the Caribbean, brought twenty black
indentured servants to Jamestown Virginia. The Virginia House of Burgesses
that same year met in Jamestown an approved indenture servitude.

Eventually the trade of both white and black indentured servants spread to
Charleston (South Carolina) and New Amsterdam (New York).

During the eighteenth century, the revolutions that took hold in France
and America set forth the concept that liberty and equality were the rights
of all men.

These ideas were of cost dangerous concepts in slave holding societies.

It was such Ideas that motivated a slave who lived most of his life at Breda
plantation 15 miles from the capital of the port city, Cap Francois.

Born May 2, 1743 which was the feast of Saints he was named
Francois Dominique Toussaint.

Toussaint led a revolution that began on the French colony of Saint-Domingue
and ended with the abolition of slavery there.

He wanted to overthrow slavery as a social system.

Due to that revolution the formation of Haiti, the first black nation in the
Western Hemisphere was established....

(CORNER TALK REPORT)

BLOG-TVs CORNER TALK REPORT

Hello everyone just wanted to let you know we are going live.......
Log into: www.blogtv.com/people/BUTCHLEAKE



(CORNER TALK REPORT)

THE STATE OF THE UNION

We do not give up! We do not quit! was the message that was echoed by president

Obama in his first State of the Union address.

In his usual elegant tone that has become a hallmark of Obama oratory the

president spelled out his agenda for 2010.

Recapturing some of the hope that help put him in to office he said what

the American people hope, what they deserve is for all of us, Democrats and

republicans, to work through our differences, to overcome the numbing weight

of our politics.

What American want is the simple security knowing that tomorrow will be better

than today. Putting on defense for the middle class which he champions...

It's all about economy, jobs and health care which he reminded everyone he

campaigned on an which he has not backed down from.

Mentioning the word "jobs" 29 times, he asked Congress to join with him

and make 2010 the year of jobs...

That the people are out of work an hurting. They need our help and he wants

a bill on his desk right away with out delay...

He pointed out that his administration had some political setbacks pointing to

the poll numbers which slid downward and voters rebelled against Democrats

in Virginia and New Jersey gubernatorial races also the lost by a successor to

the late Sen. Edward Kennedy seat to a populist republican.

Much of the presidents speech was showing that he gets it and that he understands

the underlining factors rolling out a number of proposals showing that the White

House has it's sights locked on the economy issues....

He asked that $30 billion in repaid Wall Street loans be funneled in to small business

lending, energy and tax incentives to encourage infrastructure spending.

A new middle class tax cut and eliminating capital gains taxes on small businesses

went down well with New Yorks junior senator. "I liked that he talked about a

middle-class tax-cut said Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand.

He stuck by health care reform push even though it took about 25 minutes for

him to get to the topic...

He pointed out by the time he finished speaking this evening more Americans will

have lost their health insurance. Pointing out that he will not walk away from these

Americans and neither should the people in this chamber.

"By now it should be obvious that I didn't take on health care because it's good

politics" "I took on health care because of the stories I've heard from Americans.

On the terrorist issue! I've bagged more terrorists, sez prez

He said the long and painful Iraq war "is ending" after 4,692 US and coalition

troops - so far have perished on it's dusty battle fields, "and all of our troops

are coming home"

Troops from Afghanistan will start coming home by 2011....

(CORNER TALK REPORT)

WHEN THE EARTH MOVED 2010

As we currently know, there is much needed help in Haiti due to the dire
circumstances that prevail on the ground in wake of the most devastating
Eartquake that has hit this hemisphere.

On January 12, 2010, a massive earthquake struck the nation of Haiti, causing catastrophic damage inside and around the capital city of Port-au-Prince

Thousands of people have been killed, maimed, and displaced in wake of this terrible
natural tragedy.

Relief efforts are on the way from around the world with 3 million dollars donated
to the Red Cross through the Twitter & Facebook social networks.

On January 15, the U.N. issued a flash appeal requesting approximately $562 million to support populations affected by the January 12 earthquake in Haiti. The appeal prioritizes food aid, health, logistics, nutrition, shelter and settlements, and water, sanitation, and hygiene interventions, as well as emergency recovery activities.

As this tragic story unfolds lets all be reminded how fragile we all are on this planet we call home.

Our support is urgently needed in the weeks ahead in this humanitarian cause....

(CORNER TALK REPORT)