Featuring: Larry Kenneth Alexander
Transcript:
Slavery was America’s first continuing criminal enterprise, and the smoking gun has smoldered in plain sight: the Declaration of Independence. In the grievance section, the Founding Fathers accused King George III of having abolished “our most valuable laws” and of fundamentally altering their government form. This admission revealed a profound truth—the British Crown’s reassertion of imperial legislative authority had abolished colonial America’s slave codes and Negro laws, dismantling a racialized system that underpinned colonial slavery.
For decades, Britain turned a blind eye to the lawlessness of its American colonies. English laws were not enforced, and colonial government corruption was tolerated as long as the colonies remained profitable. In this environment, colonial governments slipped into despotism, building a social order that thrived on the exploitation of Black individuals and the dispossession of Native Americans. This arrangement, though unofficial, benefited both sides—the 13 colonies prospered under minimal oversight, while Britain reaped economic rewards.
However, this unspoken policy was a privilege, not a right, and could be revoked at any time. In 1763, following the costly French and Indian War, Britain faced financial ruin, prompting a seismic shift in colonial governance. The Crown resumed its role as enforcer of imperial law and demanded that the colonies contribute their fair share to the kingdom’s expenses. These changes were not new impositions but a return to the status quo outlined in colonial charters. Parliament’s enforcement of taxes, trade regulations, and oversight was a rightful assertion of power.
To the colonists, however, this felt like overreach. After decades of self-governance, they bristled at the sudden reimposition of English rule. Colonial assemblies, once free from interference, were now subject to imperial oversight. Trade restrictions tightened, and taxes, like the Stamp Act of 1765, were introduced. While consistent with colonial charters, these measures shattered the illusion of autonomy.
Parliament, responding to colonial resistance, repealed the Stamp Act in 1766 and passed the American Colonies Act (Declaratory Act). This sweeping declaration abolished all colonial legislative proceedings that denied or questioned Parliament’s supreme authority. It struck at the heart of colonial governance, invalidating any law or statute that defied Parliament, including colonial slave codes and Negro laws. These codes, which upheld slavery, were rendered void because they violated the principles of the English Bill of Rights of 1689.
What the 13 colonies lost was not freedom but the privilege to act outside the bounds of English law. Their cries of British tyranny masked the reality—they were fighting to protect white privilege and an economic system built on racial exploitation. The American Revolution was less about resisting tyranny and more about resisting accountability.
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