Race and Slavery In the Contemporary World

Reflections

Patricia Yunghanns

• Publisher: Tellwell Publishing
• Year: 2021
• Edition: 2
• eBook ISBN:
  9780228848561
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: World History
• Index: History

Race and Slavery in the Contemporary World begins with a message the author wrote to five prominent Black public figures. In the message, the author brought out several facts she had observed, including the way the government was not obeying its laws. Another major observation was how Amendment IX of the Bill of Rights was being broken.

The Constitutional Laws of the US are intended to limit government power and put constraints on it, just as legislative laws are meant to constrain the citizens. This structure creates the rule of law that is essential to enjoying freedoms. 

The first part of the work is devoted to reflections on the value of a Black woman and is followed by reflections on why the Blacks were freed from slavery. Among the topics and issues examined are the definition of equality in America, changes in ownership of slaves, the impact of voting, and punishment for disobedience.

"These reflections are a part of voicing my grievances or complaints... My reflections might seem quite legal and historical. That is because I have found that at the root of the problems that I mention, including my own, is a law at the mercy of uncontrolled political thinking".

"Race And Slavery In The Contemporary World" is an intensely thought-provoking work. The reader will find themselves asking the questions it raises, such as "Why have we[Blacks] failed to negotiate our freedoms?" The book explores insightful topics such as the philosopher Rousseau's description of the slavery paradox and enforcement of punishment. 

The more near to home topics such as harassment and impact on Black women are also well covered.

Race and Slavery in the Contemporary World contains such topics concerning the French philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau, such as Jean-Jacques Rousseau;

Rousseau's Description of the Slavery Paradox ; Definition of Slavery on Rousseau's Views; Analogy of Rousseau's Idea : An Agreement ; The Social Contract : Rousseau's Solution and Active Agreement, Rousseau's Ideas as Practiced in the Contemporary World: People Participation, and  

Rousseau Requirement of Legitimacy for Slavery. It also looks at the philosopher of political science, Alexis de Tocqueville. In addition, it looks at the American Promise as regards to a topic, such as The American Way: The most surprising Historical Change. It considers historically reported events up to our present moment. 

Part I

Reflections on the Value of a Black Woman

INTRODUCTION: PART I

This is a message I wrote and sent to five prominent Blacks. I cannot say that they are aware of my message or that they have read it. I sent this to the following individuals: President Barack Obama, Secretary of State General Colin Powell, Condoleezza Rice, Professor Henry Louis Gates, and Oprah Winfrey.

I sent the message to complain about the fact that:

•the government is overtly breaking the law by disobeying the Laws they are bound to obey.

•one of the laws being broken is Amendment IX of the Bill of Rights.

•my Constitutional rights are being unlawfully violated in 2020, and this affects the value that is placed on every Black woman.

While writing the message, I was somewhat under the shadow of being in awe of the sheer magnitude of government unlawful behavior, the illegal actions of government, and our government’s rogue attitude in disrespecting Laws.

In that same cloud, it appears to me that individuals are unable to associate government with committing crimes, even though the government can sometimes behave unlawfully. Our Founding Fathers’ Constitutional Laws are constraints against government, just as government’s legislative laws are constraints against us. Our government is simply not above the Law.

Again, since 1789, as we are bound by laws from the government, the government is equally bound by the Laws making up the Constitution, and all government laws are inferior to our Founding Fathers’ Constitutional Laws of 1789. Yet, the government has been allowed to break our highest Laws (Constitution) and produce lower laws that are unlawful because those laws merely disobey a Law within the Constitution.

People know that they should not join and participate in unlawfulness. However, when the government breaks the law, most people appear accepting of government’s unlawfulness. I can list many famous instances where government has openly broken laws, including their own, and their unlawfulness is publicly accepted and even viewed, as lawful in spite of the obviousness of the unlawfulness.

Is it possible to see or judge unlawful behavior in the political regime, or in documents or actions of the regime, given that the political regime is held in such high esteem? Yes. There was a time when it was not possible to see behavior by government police in terms of lawful or unlawful. Today, there is more objectivity.

Can the government break the law? Yes. Is it legal? No. Is it lawful? No. Should I complain and do so as loudly as possible? Yes. Should you help me magnify the volume on my complaint? Yes.

REFLECTIONS

Subject: Should unlawfulness emanating from our political regime prevail over legal rights guaranteed under the 1789 Constitution?

Four scores and two thousand years after the only ever social contractual Constitution, I stand as an oppressed educated Black woman of color, of the utmost character, who is unlawfully deprived of every iota of the dignity required for being a human. As a Black human and purportedly freed from slavery, I have a legal right to human dignity under Amendment IX of the Constitution.

AMENDMENT IX The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people. United States of America 1789 (rev. 1992)

I lay claim to this right that could never have been surrendered, that I do not want to transfer, and that continues to be retained as legally mine. Yet this inalienable right, belonging only to me and owned exclusively by me as a non-slave, has been unlawfully violated in the most audacious of manners.

No one should ever have to turn to Amendment IX of the Bill of Rights because, on one hand, doing so undermines confidence in government and reduces the level of deference and reverence paid to the three branches; on the other hand, Amendment IX was only meant to be a precaution in the event of bad faith demonstrated by unlawful acts emanating from and/or unlawful actions exhibited by any of the three branches.

To overlook Amendment IX is to overlook the strength of history. For history will eventually not be a kind judge of those who select politically feasible unlawful oppression over lawfulness and human value. In effect, to give more credibility and worth to unlawful acts emanating from or perpetrated by any branch over the constitutionally lawful human-valued worth attached to a Black woman of color is wrong.

However, the overarching question that I ask is whether we are still slaves to be considered free only at the usefulness, interest, and convenience of the most ambitious and politically savvy, or are we no longer slaves and are now endowed with the inalienable right of human dignity under Amendment IX, regarding rights we have retained as non-slaves, such as those not capable of being detached from the human in order to have been surrendered?

I say to you, that complacent complicity including conspiring with, collaborating with, cooperating with the unlawful denigration of a Black woman and the unlawful violation of a Black woman’s human dignity, teaches the world that Blacks have no value other than that which has been imposed upon us.

I have demonstrated standards well beyond the ordinary, in many areas. Yet I have never been a self-promoter and would rather not become one.

It is expected that I should be considered an anomaly. However, I believe that it is wrong for Blacks to encourage or be complacently complicit about our being defined based on the expectations that have been projected upon us or about...

Table of contents

• PREFACE
• Part I
• Reflections on the Value of a Black Woman
• Part II
• Reflections on When Blacks were Freed from Slavery
• CONCLUSION
• A SUMMARY
• GLOSSARY
• BILL OF RIGHTS
• About the Author