My Freemasonry | Freemason Information and Discussion Forum

Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

Diversity

dfreybur

Premium Member
There isn't a person in the world who isn't descended from slaves across the majority of their family tree. Before it became common to use beasts of burden in farming and before the metal needed for that became easy to acquire, slavery in various forms was a brutal economic necessity across the world. People knew it was wrong but the alternative was widespread starvation. Once there was enough metal to hold together tack for beasts of burden every form of slavery started being abolished country by country, continent by continent.

Only in the Americas was it about race and there only because serfdom was being abolished across Europe as the colonies were founded so slaves had to be imported from elsewhere. Because slavery was also being abolished in Asia at the time the only source market was from Africa. By the time slaves were shipped to the American colonies it was about profit motives not about starvation so of course the institution was doomed in the Americas as it was everywhere else. The founding fathers of the United States knew this but they also knew they could not at that time pull off a ban that would pull the support of several colonies and result in the short of disunity seen in Europe with endless wars. Waiting a century to ban slavery and that with a large war was the price paid by the founders, knowing the result would be fewer wars than occur in Europe to this day.

Knowing the facts of history is vastly different from getting it on any emotional level.
 

Dontrell Stroman

Premium Member
There isn't a person in the world who isn't descended from slaves across the majority of their family tree. Before it became common to use beasts of burden in farming and before the metal needed for that became easy to acquire, slavery in various forms was a brutal economic necessity across the world. People knew it was wrong but the alternative was widespread starvation. Once there was enough metal to hold together tack for beasts of burden every form of slavery started being abolished country by country, continent by continent.

Only in the Americas was it about race and there only because serfdom was being abolished across Europe as the colonies were founded so slaves had to be imported from elsewhere. Because slavery was also being abolished in Asia at the time the only source market was from Africa. By the time slaves were shipped to the American colonies it was about profit motives not about starvation so of course the institution was doomed in the Americas as it was everywhere else. The founding fathers of the United States knew this but they also knew they could not at that time pull off a ban that would pull the support of several colonies and result in the short of disunity seen in Europe with endless wars. Waiting a century to ban slavery and that with a large war was the price paid by the founders, knowing the result would be fewer wars than occur in Europe to this day.

Knowing the facts of history is vastly different from getting it on any emotional level.
Thank you for your thoughts and point big view. You stated that everyone in some point had slaves in their ancestry. So with that being said, how do GL get away with such statements against blacks "being freeborn" if everyone had slaves in their family tree ? And again why was other races allowed to join GL but not blacks ? That's why PH had to go the route he did.
 

Randy81

Premium Member
Thank you for your thoughts and point big view. You stated that everyone in some point had slaves in their ancestry. So with that being said, how do GL get away with such statements against blacks "being freeborn" if everyone had slaves in their family tree ? And again why was other races allowed to join GL but not blacks ? That's why PH had to go the route he did.
In my opinion, we have PHA for the same reason we have HBCs and predominantly African American Churches, etc. It's because of segregation and racism Brother. I'm not saying it's ok, but that's why. As to other races being able to join the GL, I don't have an answer. I think it also depends what region that you're in. What you see in the Southeast isn't what you'll see in the Northeast.
 

Dontrell Stroman

Premium Member
I know there are blacks in GL today, I was asking about the old days. Why could other races join during George Washington times, but a free black couldn't ?
 

Dontrell Stroman

Premium Member
Thanks for you insight. I just don't get the strong tension between blacks and whites. I guess it's because whites owning blacks was the last current form of slavery in the US.
 

Randy81

Premium Member
Thanks for you insight. I just don't get the strong tension between blacks and whites. I guess it's because whites owning blacks was the last current form of slavery in the US.
It could be because we sometimes have a false sense of security in the Army brother. We are all willing to fight and die for another regardless of race or religion. I'm right there with you.
 

MRichard

Mark A. Ri'chard
Premium Member
But again, why was other races allowed to join "white" GL and subordinate lodges, but not blacks ? If a black man was free born then why couldn't he join ?

Again, he can and has joined in other places; maybe not in TN (I don't know). If you had lived in the South, you already know the answer to this question. You can't really change anything by bring up race on a message board. They were a group of guys from both grand lodges in Texas that used to meet for lunch or whatever before visitation was allowed. They called themselves Bridge Builders or something to that effect.
 
Last edited:

Dontrell Stroman

Premium Member
Again, he can and has joined in other places; maybe not in TN (I don't know). If you had lived in the South, you already know the answer to this question. You can't really change anything by bring up race on a message board. They were a group of guys from both grand lodges that used to meet for lunch or whatever before visitation was allowed. They called themselves Bridge Builders or something to that effect.
Interesting, Where would I find information out about the "bridge builders' ?
 

dfreybur

Premium Member
It could be because we sometimes have a false sense of security in the Army brother. We are all willing to fight and die for another regardless of race or religion. I'm right there with you.

Which is the direct result of Past Grand Master Most Worshipful Harry Truman's Executive Order when he was President of the United Stated. The order happened before I was born and by the time I was in not a single person in the US military remembered a time before unit level integration.

On the one hand all that is history that happened before I was born. On the other hand there's a town I will not set foot in because it's not history yet there. Knowing the history does not mean I'll ever get it.
 

acjohnson53

Registered User
This a touchy topic, being that America as a whole still has a lot of work to do. But headed into the new milliniem we have improved in many areas for equality. todays generation stand up for each other....
 

PHAmily!

Registered User
But again, why was other races allowed to join "white" GL and subordinate lodges, but not blacks ? If a black man was free born then why couldn't he join ?
RACISM its why there are historically black universities its why prince hall was started he was born a freeman but yet could not join that's why prince hall was started and to the one brother you knew prince hall was a historically black lodge WHEN YOU JOINED.
 

PHAmily!

Registered User
SIMPLY put racism prince hall was born a freeman but yet could not join. I was crossing with a Spanish guy but his wife talked him out of it.
 
Last edited:

PHAmily!

Registered User
Thank you for your thoughts and point big view. You stated that everyone in some point had slaves in their ancestry. So with that being said, how do GL get away with such statements against blacks "being freeborn" if everyone had slaves in their family tree ? And again why was other races allowed to join GL but not blacks ? That's why PH had to go the route he did.
YOU GOT IT prince hall basically said you wont let me join ill do my OWN THANG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
Top