George V Johnson Jr.'s Videos (The Gandhi-King Community) - The Gandhi-King Community

Slavery in America part 3 of 3

2010-04-25T22:13:26.000Z

Slavery in the United States began soon after English colonists first settled Virginia in 1607 and lasted as a legal institution until the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution in 1865. It continues illegally to this day.

Before the widespread establishment of chattel slavery, much labor was organized under a system of bonded labor known as indentured servitude. This typically lasted for several years for white and black alike, and it was a means of using labor to pay the costs of transporting people to the colonies. By the 18th century, court rulings established the racial basis of the American incarnation of slavery to apply chiefly to Black Africans and people of African descent, and occasionally to Native Americans. A 1705 Virginia law stated slavery would apply to those peoples from nations that were not Christian. In part because of the success of tobacco as a cash crop in the Southern colonies, its labor-intensive character caused planters to import more slaves for labor by the end of the 17th century than did the northern colonies. The South had a significantly higher number and proportion of slaves in the population. Religious differences contributed to this geographic disparity as well.

From 1654 until 1865, slavery for life was legal within the boundaries of much of the present United States. Most slaves were black and were held by whites, although some Native Americans and free blacks also held slaves; there were a small number of white slaves as well. The majority of slave holding was in the southern United States where most slaves were engaged in an efficient machine-like gang system of agriculture. According to the 1860 U.S. census, nearly four million slaves were held in a total population of just over 12 million in the 15 states in which slavery was legal. Of all 8,289,782 free persons in the 15 slave states, 393,967 people (4.8%) held slaves, with the average number of slaves held by any single owner being 10.[5][6] The majority of slaves were held by planters, defined by historians as those who held 20 or more slaves.[7] Ninety-five percent of black people lived in the South, comprising one-third of the population there, as opposed to 2% of the population of the North. The wealth of the United States in the first half of the 19th century was greatly enhanced by the labor of African Americans.

But with the Union victory in the American Civil War, the slave-labor system was abolished in the South. This contributed to the decline of the postbellum Southern economy, but it was most affected by the continuing decline in the price of cotton through the end of the century. That made it difficult for the region to recover from the war, as did its comparative lack of infrastructure, which kept products from markets. The South faced significant new competition from foreign cotton producers such as India and Egypt. Northern industry, which had expanded rapidly before and during the war, surged even further ahead of the South's agricultural economy. Industrialists from northeastern states came to dominate many aspects of the nation's life, including social and some aspects of political affairs. The planter class of the South lost power temporarily. The rapid economic development following the Civil War accelerated the development of the modern U.S. industrial economy.

Twelve million Africans were shipped to the Americas from the 16th to the 19th centuries Of these, an estimated 645,000 were brought to what is now the United States. The largest number were shipped to Brazil. The slave population in the United States had grown to four million by the 1860 Census.

Illegal slavery continues in the United States today. Modern slavery is often discussed in the framework of human trafficking.

Slavery in American 2 of 3

2010-04-25T22:12:47.000Z

Slavery in American part 1

2010-04-25T22:05:22.000Z

A Night In Tunisia

2010-04-25T21:48:03.000Z

George V Johnson Jr Tribute to Dizzy Gillespie @ Israel International Super Jazz Festival Ashdod 2009. My 2nd visit to Israel. 1st visit was 4 months after 9/11.

I had just flown to Albuquerque, NM, on September 10, and stayed at the Historic B'n'B, the JAZZ INN, with concerts scheduled in Santa Fe and Taos. The next morning, 9/11, we turned on the TV news of the Twin Tower bombings. It was unbelievable. Everyone was in tears. Five months later, and after two postponements, due to terrorist attacks, I received an unbelievable call, early one Sunday morning, requesting that I come to Israel to perform. I was excited, but really shocked!

My family and friends were very concerned about my well being and tried to convince me not to go. At the time I only had one gig on my calendar and I wanted to see what it was like, so with a two-week notice, I canceled a club engagement and was on my way. It was called The 2nd International Artist Conclave Jerusalem, "God Bless the Child" Film Documentary. In Solidarity with all Children in Conflict. "A 7-day concert tour with 15-year former "Tonight Show" Saxophonist and Educator, Arnie Lawrence (Jewish) Founder of the New School in NYC", said the voice on the other end of the phone. The year prior there were award presentation and concerts by legendary drummer Max Roach and saxophonist James Moody "MOODY'S Mood for Love". Also on the flight was Blues singer, Evelyn Blakey, drummer Art Blakey's daughter, her manager Lord Allah and Roxanne Butterfly-Jazz Tap dancer extraordinaire who's nationality was French Moroccan.

Upon arrival we were greeted at the airport in high fashion, by Arnie playing on his saxophone "when the Saints Come Marching In" with crowds watching on. With Arnie was a cameraman filming every step we took, everyday. A dark skinned Egyptian driver in a Mercedes Station wagon chauffeured us daily. He looked like a normal black man that you would see anywhere and spoke Arabic and English as well. During the week, we made appearances and performed at Arnie's Jazz/Ness Cafe, YMCA Hall, at the top of Mt. Meirom (overlooking the Sea of Galilee), The Galil, Hemdat Yamin, Haifa, Mt Olive and in Tel Aviv at Snyder's Children Hospital (center court concert) and a special presentation for the children in the Kidney dialysis section who were not able to attend.

The band consisted of (Palestinians) Muslims, Jews and Christians with nothing but creativity and love. The instruments used weren't your typical instruments that you would hear in a regular jazz band. Some were the same instruments that were used thousands of years ago along with piano, saxophones, vocal and tap.

My Little Suede Shoes

2010-04-25T21:36:10.000Z

Original lyrics by George V Johnson Jr