Louisiana State Representative Barbara Norton: Unfair to make kids recite untrue Declaration of Independence

By Douglas V. Gibbs, Constitutional Author, Speaker, Instructor and Radio Host

Louisiana State Representative Barbara Norton in the below video provides a gross misrepresentation of the spirit of what was being said by the Founding Fathers in the Declaration of Independence, as well as a great example of how uninformed about history many of our legislators truly are.  Her words are guided by ideology and agenda, rather than fact and common sense.

In response to her incoherent ramblings, the Founders truly did believe that everyone was "created equal," and that statement was a resounding pledge of their commitment to end slavery in America. Jefferson, for example, was a staunch abolitionist. He inherited his slaves, and by law was unable to afford the monetary requirements to free them, otherwise, he would have.  He, however, since he was legally and financially unable to free them, treated his slaves as family.  There is one story in Dumas Malone's Jefferson Series of Books that tells of Thomas Jefferson returning from France and his slaves meeting him at the bottom of the hill because they were so excited to see him.  They hoisted him on their shoulders, and carried him up the hill to the house.

All of the founders except a few (primarily those in the Carolinas and Georgia) believed that slavery would be voted out of existence State by State within their lifetime. Unfortunately, their hope did not come to pass.  And, as the video points out, there were black slave owners, as well, during the time of early America - some of which owned white slaves.  In fact, the first slave owner on record in the English Colonies was Antonio Johnson. . . he owned two white slaves, along with one black slave.  Also, remember, it was those same founding fathers in Article I, Section 9 of the Constitution who began the beginning of the end of slavery through enabling Congress to outlaw the Atlantic Slave Trade in 1808.

A majority of the signers of the Declaration of Independence were not slave owners, free blacks fought in the Revolutionary War, and voted in elections, and many blacks in America were key to our success during the Revolutionary War as well as their influence and participation in our movement westward into the frontier.

A great source for studying these realities, and more is David Barton's book American History in Black and White.  There is also a DVD available with the book.

-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary