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President Obama’s State of the Union Address was largely centered on employment, economic growth, and “opportunity for all” in America. In light of our class discussion on Davis today, I found myself comparing the job creation mentioned in the speech to the enslavement of Africans in colonial America. In modern-day America, many writers and critics claim that there are still leaps and bounds to cover before everyone is provided with equal opportunities. Leading me to my next point of comparison surrounding inequality. As ‘opportunity for all’ is a major pillar of the Democratic Party and for Obama himself, the President spoke mostly to the middle-class American—a class today that makes up the majority of our population.
In comparing this to the socioeconomic demographics of colonial times, the middle class seemed much more present in the North based upon descriptions in our readings. As Dana mentioned in his post on January 26, life did not seem that bad for enslaved peoples (in comparison). Many were able to gain freedom and even employ their own slaves one day, which I guess could be similar to Obama’s idea of working hard, taking responsibility and getting ahead because of it. This idea of ‘opportunity for all’ may have been more realistic in the North for both enslaved Africans and lower-middle class craftsmen. However, in the South it seems as though the opportunity existed only for the select few at the top—i.e. the white landowning males.
Income inequality in the south was much greater due to the obvious reason of the white farmer becoming immensely rich from cash crops like tobacco while the enslaved Africans underwent subjugation, cruel conditions, and unequal treatment. This notion of hard work being the only thing necessary to get ahead may have been more true for slave-owning landholders of Virginia and South Carolina colonists. Yet, for enslaved Africans their fate seemed ultimately sealed by the time they took their first steps on American soil. It is an interesting parallel to consider Davis’ notion that freedom was achieved through slavery in colonial times mentioning “black slavery was basic and integral to the entire phenomenon we call ‘America'”(Davis 102). Yet the consistent treachery of morals and lack of compassion for human beings of a different color begs the question of how much was too much.
I think the obvious answer, by most standards, is that slavery went too far in its subjugation of Africans creating an immense disadvantage for the entire race. Furthermore, the sheer magnitude of the divide between the rich and the poor is astounding. Moreover, modern day protests like Occupy Wall Street in 2011 demonstrate our contemporary view of inequality, which looks quite meager in comparison to the class disparity in southern Colonial America. Although black slave labor was “indispensable” to the successful boom in growth for America, the short-term costs came at the hand of the black men and women. However, the argument presents itself that the unbearable costs paid by the colonial slaves led not just to the freedom of the white man, but eventually of the African slaves as well—after all, is it not enormously impressive that the man delivering the State of the Union is black. The fundamental aspect of our country, which makes it so great, is the fact that our fates are not sealed, but rather it is indeed a land of opportunity.