In addition, they were often enslaved by fellow blacks, capitalizing on the white man's desires, and so, another misconception about slavery is demolished, races did not band together; they worked against each other when enslaving their neighbors. Slavery ended due to several instances, such as nations becoming larger and larger, taking over more territory, and thus reducing the areas available for slave capture. These areas tended to be small and weak, and when they were taken over, they were no longer acceptable for slave capture (Sowell 115). Serfdom, a popular agricultural solution in Europe, tended to supplant slavery, ending it there, as well. A true philosophy of ending enslavement began in Britain in the 18th century, before that, most civilizations did not view slavery as a problem at all. In fact, the people who first objected were extremely conservation religious members of society, but this is often overlooked or ignored. It was a Western ideal, and it spread from Britain into the Western world, including the United States. Sowell writes, "No non-Western nation or civilization shared this animosity toward slavery that began to develop in the Western world in the late eighteenth century" (Sowell 117). This was not a universal attitude, and that is perhaps one of the greatest misconceptions about slavery and how it ended throughout the world. We also think the end of slavery came about relatively rapidly, as it did in America as a result of the Civil War, but in most parts of the world, it took centuries to be eradicated. It is notable that many of the founding fathers, such as Washington, Jefferson, and Madison, did not approve of slavery (even though they owned slaves), but that they thought freeing the slaves would create a race war, and that was more dangerous than allowing slavery to continue (Sowell 139). They did not end slavery, but they did limit its growth, and that ultimately did lead to the end of the institution.

White liberals like to point to the "legacy of slavery" as a cause for the current problems in much of black culture, but Sowell shows that one of the enduring legacies of slavery is guilt by whites and shame and resentment among blacks. However, the modern "legacy of slavery" cannot be blamed for poverty and broken families, because this phenomenon has actually increased since the 1960s, a time when Civil Rights were finally approved and things were supposed to get better for blacks and other races. Instead, things have gotten worse, well over 100 years after the end of slavery, and that is largely due to the violent, cracker culture that is still part of the black ghetto culture.

Some people tend to distort these ideas about slavery because it supports their own prejudices and hatred of other races, while others do it because there are so many myths about slavery that still exist. These distortions tend to make some blacks believe the myths, while others just become more resentful and angry, creating more violence and distrust between the races. This can certainly affect the criminal justice system on both sides. Blacks resent any whites in a position of authority, while whites believe many of the myths of slavery, including somehow, blacks were weak and "wanted" to be enslaved. These can create misunderstandings and even prejudices in the criminal justice system, which is why it is so important to understand the real truth about slavery and racism in this country, and at least some of what perpetuates it.

Poverty causes poor academic performance in a number of ways. First, children who are cold, hungry, and fearful of their home life are not in the best condition to learn anything. In addition, many modern curriculums are designed especially...

These "educational dogmas" as Sowell refers to them, are often difficult to overthrow and getting rid of them is often seen as not "politically correct." Therefore, many minority children receive inferior educations because of white liberal ideas about supplementing their culture and history in the educational process, instead of ensuring they are receiving the same education as their white counterparts. Using trendy teaching methods does not often work, while relying on tried and true measures, such as work, responsibility, and the basic ingredients of education, like reading, are making a big difference in many black schools. This shows that poverty and lifestyle can affect performance, but those factors can be overcome by dedicated teachers and administrators who care more about their children than education dogma. Sadly, in the black community, education is still seen as a step toward becoming "white," and the cracker culture of the South is one reason this idea still exists in the black, ghetto community.
Liberals love to cite "oppression" as the cause of many black contemporary problems because they have guilt about the institution of slavery, and they want to appear understanding and sympathetic to the black culture. People are attempting to be politically correct and appear unbiased, and so they go too far the other way, and blame the inadequacies of a culture on outside forces, because it could not be "their" fault. Sowell notes, "A prevailing vision can become the default setting for thought and action" (Sowell 253), and that is certainly the case, here. Alternative explanations may not be the most palatable, but they include the fact that this liberal viewpoint has helped create this legacy of poverty and crime, and now, it needs to take another approach to stop it.

Western civilization has been misrepresented often in history, largely because certain myths about classes, races, and culture in general are accepted and perpetuated by most people. For example, the author cites the examples of many Asian immigrants who have suffered as much (or more) than blacks in the country, and have still managed to make successes out of their lives. He writes, [T]hese stories undermine the fundamental beliefs and general thrust of welfare state government" (Sowell 254). Liberals see these views as counterproductive and even racist, and so, the stories do not become nearly as important or available as those stories about "oppressed" blacks who are still suffering from that "legacy of slavery," even if it is not true.

Sowell uses the term "cosmic justice" as a term that many people use to deal with the common inequities that exist in every society. Cosmic justice refers to the ultimate paying back of ancestors sins, such as the movement to remunerate the living ancestors of American slaves, in an attempt to make up for the "sins of the fathers." This idea of cosmic justice wants everything to come out nice and even, no matter what occurred before. He writes, "Yet those with the vision of cosmic justice want both groups to have the same effects without the same causes, when both are living in the same country" (Sowell 265). Clearly, that is not possible. Both groups are not the same, through no fault of their own, and to attempt to hand out cosmic justice in the end only shows how many disparities truly exist between the different cultures of our country, including the cracker culture of the modern American black ghettos.

References

Sowell, Thomas. Black Rednecks and White Liberals. San Francisco, Encounter…