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Exploration of Race
Aspeech given in 1712 by a Caribbean
slave trader, Willie Lynch...
“Gentlemen, I greet you here on the bank of the James River in the year of our Lord one
thousand seven hundred and twelve. First, I shall thank you The Gentlemen of the Colony
of Virginia for bringing me here. I am here to help you solve some of your problems
with slaves. Your invitation reached me on my modest plantation in the West Indies
where I have experimented with some of the newest and still oldest methods for control
of slaves. Ancient Rome would envy us if my program is implemented. As our boat sailed
south on the James River, named for our illustrious King, whose version of the Bible we
cherish; I saw enough to know that your problem not unique. While Rome used cords of
wood as crosses for standing human bodies along its highways in great numbers, you are
using the tree and the rope on occasion.
I caught the whiff of a dead slave hanging from a tree a couple of miles back. You are
not only losing valuable stock by hanging, you are uprising, slaves are running away, your
crops are sometimes left in the field too long for maximum profit, you suffer occasional
fires, your animals are killed, gentlemen, you know what your problems are, I do not need
to elaborate. I am not here to enumerate your problem, I am here to introduce you to a
method of solving them.
In my bag here I have a fool proof method for controlling Black Slaves. I guarantee
everyone of you that if installed correctly, it will control the slave for at least 300 years.
My method is simple and members of your family and Overseer can use it.
I have outlined a number differences among the slaves, and I take these differences and
make them bigger. I use fear and distrust and envy for control purposes. These methods
have worked on my modest plantation in the West Indies and (they) will work throughout
the South. Take this simple little list of differences, think about them. On top of my list
is “Age” but it is there only because it begins with “A”. The second is “Color” or “Shade”,
there is intelligence, size, sex, size of plantation, attitude of owner, whether the slaves live
in the valley, on a hill, East, West, North, or South, have fine or coarse hair, or is tall or
short. Now that you have a list of differences, I shall give you an outline of action but before
that, I shall assure you that distrust is stronger than trust and envy is stronger than adulation,
respect and admiration.
The Black Slave after receiving this indoctrination shall carry on and will Jjg^ame self
refueling and self-generating for hundreds of years, maybe thousands.
Don’t forget you must pitch the old black versus the young black and the young black
male against the old black male. You must use the dark skin slave versus the light skin slave
and the light skin versus the dark skin slaves. You must also have your white servants and
overseer distrust all blacks, but it is necessary that your slaves trust and depend on us. They
must love, respect and trust only us.
Gentle men, these Kits are the keys to control, use them. Have your wives and children
use them, never miss an opportunity. My plan is guaranteed and the good thing about this
plan is that if used intensely for one year the slaves themselves will remain perpetually
distrustful.
“Thank you, gentlemen.”