Our Hidden Legacy

By Kenneth C. Bryant

I am an elderly black male, who, in my youth, developed a love of reading history; and in that period of time, the late ’30s and the early ’40s, I found it very hard to locate much literature depicting black presence in American history. Later in life, when this information was publicly made more available, I was overwhelmed with shock, and I questioned as to why all this had been hidden all these years. Black people had not only just existed here, they were also necessary for this country to achieve the success that was attained to push this nation ahead in the following years. This book is detailed to prove this assertion. I also go into great detail explaining why this information has been kept hidden. There is only a glimpse of pre-North American contributions mentioned in the book, but there is a detailed explanation of the making of the United States of America, all the way up until the present time, depicting how the black presence was necessary to bring this country to where it is today. It is also necessary for young and elderly, both black and white, who are aspiring, ambitious American citizens to be fully cognizant of this in order to reap the benefits they will need in keeping this nation as the greatest nation on earth. This book proves that diversity is the main bulwark of our nation.

• Language: English
• Publisher: LifeRich Publishing
• Release date: Jan 19, 2019
• ISBN: 9781489720986

Kenneth C. Bryant

Read and discover how the untruthful keeping of history, and social science can effect and hold back the ambitions and aspirations of entire future generations causing social withdrawing from achieving any advancement, as told by not some college professor, but by an ordinary, high school educated citizen, who could easily pass for your next door neighbor.

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Copyright © 2019 Kenneth C. Bryant.

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ISBN: 978-1-4897-2097-9 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4897-2098-6 (e)

LifeRich Publishing rev. date: 01/18/2019

Contents

Preface

Acknowledgment

Chapter 1     In the Beginning

Chapter 2     Colonial Blacks

Chapter 3     From Human Bondage to Emancipation

Chapter 4     The African Diaspora

Chapter 5     World War

Chapter 6     Civil Rights

Chapter 7     History Making Sharp Turns

Chapter 8     Hello Mister President

Chapter 9     A Rude Awakening

Chapter 10   The Coming Together

The Bibliography

Preface

I state in the very beginning of this book, how I developed a love for reading at an earlier age, and how that love later centered on the reading of history. I was not satisfied to just accept everything around me that I saw as always having been that way back in time, but how did it get the way we see it now. At that age, it fascinated me that people living years ago, did not have electricity, or automobiles, or any of the modern conveniences that we take for granted today. It confounded my brain to learn that these things had to one day, be invented. This realization only fueled my imagination to begin to learn all I could about the past, and even now, in my later years, I become excited when delving into ages long gone. That is what you might call, a love of history. Being a member of a minority race in this country, it was a great disappointment to find out that there was limited access to the historical knowledge, concerning my own people. Later in life, it became clear that it was possible to gain this information if you really tried, but it was not common knowledge, facts most people knew, because in a way, this knowledge was suppressed and kept hidden. There was very little to inspire me. A people can only stay dormant who lack inspiration and they can also be subjugated when they are without a vision. It’s almost impossible to have a vision if you don’t know your roots. In other words, a race of people will not progress without pride in their history. Pride in your history will give one inspiration to continue along the historical lines laid down by preceding generations, and you can have your generation become a significant part of that legacy. If the reading of this book does what I hope it will do, inspire minority youths to participate in preparing themselves for upward achievements through the medium of consecrated education, and to work hard to become part of that legacy, then I have accomplished what was intended here. It is impossible to tabulate the many thousands of gifted, talented minority individuals of the past, that went through life, and because of prevailing circumstances, we will never realize how much of their talent this nation failed to utilize. It is incumbent, that this generation not allow that negative condition, to continue to repeat itself. The action that the adults of both the white race, and the black race of this generation need to take, is to not permit the next generation to miss their opportunity by being unprepared. That means that this book is not meant just for people of color, but can help change Caucasian minds for the better, also. I will compare this to gardening. The soil has to be prepared before you can plant any seeds, so young minds need to be influenced before they even have a desire to become educated. That part has to be set in motion by us older people. We can do this by repeatedly reminding them of how rich our history is full of overcomers. This will inspire them to want to be a continuation of this legacy. I must constantly remind my readers that this book is not meant to be a history book. I have selected various historically important individuals, the events surrounding them, the results that transpired, and shown how these persons relied on, and used the inherent legacy left to them. Webster says, a legacy is something left by your ancestors. These African ancestors possessed no materialistic inheritance to leave their offspring, but they were the members of their race, that were able to survive the middle passage, one of the first deadly impediments that had to be overcome to even reach these shores. Make no doubt about it, the middle passage was so brutal, any person able to complete this journey, were those who had a very strong will to overcome anything. These persons would be the bulk of the black ancestors who would populate this new continent, and would perpetuate the survival of that race. This would eliminate any weakness of fortitude, in the race, any beings without it would surely perish.

From the moment their feet touched these shores, for the next 400 years, their only reliant hope would have to come from within themselves. This book will take you through some parts of that journey and well along the way. I begin in the early colonial period and take you all the way up to the current phase, including the social and political morass we are embroiled in at the present time. These folks were devoid of a plan or blueprint or in most cases, some leaders to guide them. The main purpose for them, was personal survival. They entered a new world, with new customs, containing a new race of mostly harsh people, who were insensible to their condition, and treated them as chattel, personal property. Over time, the inherent legacy left to these folks took effect, and their survival instincts brought out the over-commers. However, as they progressed, and began to adjust to this society, some of them even began to excel. This could not be tolerated, because their servitude was founded on the supposition that they were sub-human, and were created to serve other races. Any advance they made could not be publicized, but would have to be hidden. That is what the title of this book signifies.

I tried to stress how this black presence and participation in the making of America did not just cause this country to deal with only circumstances that pertain to black people apart and separate from the rest of the country. I am in the process of proving its effect on our entire history. These are some of the things that the presence of black people in this country made happen. From the wording of the Declaration of Independence, and the clauses, and amendments to the Constitution, we see the founders describing how to deal with this presence. How the Industrial Revolution, with the inventions of steam power caused a need for more man-power, resulting in the expansion of slavery. How the doubling of the territorial United States’ land mass, two-fold from the accumulation of the Louisiana Purchase, caused a debate whether this territory would be free, or slave. This presence caused the most devastating, and deadly war we have ever had, the Civil War. How Jim Crow held the South back for 100 years. From fighting 2 World Wars, to the integration of the armed services, to the integration of the schools, to the integration policies of the entire nation, and finally to the election of the first person of color to the presidency of our great nation. The black presence in this country has been necessary to bring it to the greatness that this nation has achieved. There is no white history, or separate black history, there is only one history, called The History of America, including both black and white people.

Although the history of America has always been shaped by the black presence, there has always been a denial of its importance by white supremist. The train of though was, if the blacks didn’t help make and settle the country, how should they be able to enjoy the benefits of that country. This attitude, sorry to say, has been kept alive down through the ages, and is still believed by some today. Allowing the youth to become cognizant of these facts, and showing them what a rich legacy we possess, I am hoping to give them a certain pride in their people, and hope they commit themselves to become part of that legacy. I encourage them to go to book stores, go on line, read some books about Black History, and black historical characters, and find out for themselves the contribution made by black folk, that made America great. Reading this book will also show them the main thing that is keeping America great today, and how the preservation of it will continue to keep this nation great. The thing I am speaking about is the process that makes America the democracy that it has come to be, and how preserving that same process will keep it that way, it’s known as the voting franchise. It will show them how not to neglect this right. How it was so swiftly given, and taken away from blacks during Jim Crow days, and the dire results. I will show how the South today is prospering because of restoring this right, and implementing social and economic changes favorable to blacks.

Because America was not made great by one race of people, it will not be kept great by only one race of people. As the demographics of the world change, in order for our country to continue to be the world leader, we must also change. Mathematically speaking, there are more people of color on this globe than there are white people. Although the Western European nations have been the dominating power, African, Asian and peoples of the southern hemisphere are quickly entering the modern world. With the emergence of these nations, a much- diversified USA would have little trouble continuing its undisputed position at the very top. A mostly white, ultra-nationalist, non-diversified nation would have a hard time. These black, brown, and other ethnic nations will have to be dealt with on an equal standing. This can only be if we are ourselves, such a diversified nation. Our future generation, black and white, must be prepared to assume their needed positions when that time arrives.

Acknowledgment

My acknowledgment list is very short indeed, because the thoughts that I write about are coming from my memory of reading a large number of mostly history books, and self-educating myself on black history. My friend Marlene Ellis, has a daughter who is married to the son of a prominent New York City pastor, Calvin O. Butts III, pastor of Abyssinian Baptist Church, and a good friend of mine. He and I have sat and had many lengthily talks and discussions. At a family holiday dinner, he suggested that I should put my thoughts in writing, and this is the result of literally taking his advice. I must say that the sacrifice of time it took for the writing of this book, was made possible by Marlene and the encouragement of members of my family, and friends. Marlene’s other daughter, Monica, was a great help in assisting me computer wise.

Chapter 1

In the Beginning

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My main purpose in writing this book is, I am uneasy about the very uncertain future of our young people, who are, the budding, intelligent, and ambitious young African American youths of today. By having a desire to enlighten and give them encouragement, purpose and a commitment to be a part of the continued advancement of our race, and nation, certain clear and definite truths, and un-truths must be fully understood. Young African American, you think there is no satisfactory future in store for you because unemployment, incarceration, urban poverty, hostile gang activity, lingering remnants of segregation and financial inequality, just to name a few of all these hindrances, this seems like the order of the day, especially for black people. This also leaves you in despair, thinking what’s the use of even trying. This has led many of you to only want to live in the here and now, with little or no concern, or even in some cases, just getting by and having no plans for your future. The industrial, political complex of makers and shakers, the people who own and run the country and control everything, are only too happy to accommodate you with this kind of thinking. This gives them great power over the present and future of the whole Black Race of people, and this is disastrous, being that you are our only future hope. These hindrances have purposely blocked our advancement ever since the founding of this nation. This is not only a book for young African Americans, but there are quite a few things that the general public needs to be aware of. I can’t say for sure that there is a plan, written down, some place, but I intend to show that a certain element of the American society has labored intensely throughout our history, to make things appear as though the black population was brought here in slavery, and those persons were meant to labor in order to build this nation, and to do it under white supervision, because they were never genetically able to accomplish anything independently by themselves. Therefore, they don’t have a right to be able to freely partake of the benefits, and freedom of this society. And, if some of them are able to achieve anything, that accomplishment shall deliberately be kept from the black, and white population. I am not about to get into some discussion of black racism or black power, or any other negative line of thought, but I just want you to understand some of the diabolic strategies that causes you to think the way you do. The primary cause is that you do not know exactly who you are, and who were the persons you came from, what those people were, did, and wanted for you, what their future looked like, and how they sometimes worked, bled, and died for things that they were not always able to receive for themselves, but hoped that some future generation, like you, might achieve. I’m about to give you information that has been kept from you as far back in time as you want to go, and even up until now you must dig deep into the annals of history to find the true story. It is something so precious that God himself is the only one who could have bestowed it upon them and us. It is called Our Legacy. This is a God Given Legacy, and we all know that anything given by God, cannot be taken away by mere man. At this time, I will reveal to you, Our Hidden Legacy.

Watch this! We all can receive directions to any place we would like to go when we have a smart phone and use our GPS. However, there are two things that we must be able to know exactly, in order to do this. You have to know what place you’re coming from, and what destination you intend to end up at. Without either one of these the GPS is useless, and trying to navigate in unfamiliar territory, we would soon be utterly lost. So much so, is the journey of the black people. The mass of you young folks are floundering because in your life’s journey, you have not been able to fill in the last requirement needed for the global positioning on your races smart phone, what place in the history of mankind you came from.

Early in my life, I discovered a pastime that gave me a tremendous amount of pleasure it was reading! After learning to read, something else gave me pleasure, reading about the past, a subject called history! Other kids in school were bored with this subject, but I couldn’t get enough of what went on ages ago, and how things were not always the way we see them now, in this age we are living in, but how mankind had progressed through the ages from primitive existence to inventions, new ideas and countless innovations. The older I got, the more it occurred to me that something very important to me, was missing. I started school in 1938 and did not receive history lessons until about the sixth grade. By that time, I could very well tell what was missing. It was the absence of black people having a major place in the recording of history. Later in eighth grade as we were studying about the Civil War, the teacher made the comment that slavery didn’t cause the war. During that time, that line of thought was erringly taught in most schools. Well, I knew that’s not what my grandparents told us, and their parents, my great grandparents, they told them differently, because they were there, and experienced what really happened. They saw slavery to be the cause and the reason for the war, and they told my grandparents what that war was about and what it had accomplished, their freedom. Now, I wasn’t going to tell this teacher she was wrong, because I didn’t want to spend the rest of the morning in the principal’s office. So, I raised my hand, and asked why did the North free the slaves? She said that as long as they were at it, meaning fighting the war, they might as well free the slaves. That did not make sense to me. She taught us all about the battles being fought, and I raised my hand again, and asked, what were the slaves doing while all this was going on. She answered and said Oh, they sat around on barrels and stumps, and clapped their hands and sang, like they always did. Everyone in the class broke out laughing, to my shame and embarrassment. From that day on, I never had much faith in anything that teacher said. Later in life, after I learned how we were methodically kept out of history, I then knew what she probably was guilty of. I came to the conclusion that, she was only teaching what she was taught, and mentally, I forgave her. You see, in all my years in school, Black History was not even heard of, let alone taught, and my generation, and the preceding generations before us were in a sense ignorant of our own history.

The writing and keeping of history, is only a prerogative of