Lost In Translation

[PheonixKingZ]

A question for my American friends, in the vein of what @wasmewasntit has been saying. Until just over 150 years ago, until 1865, if you had the cash you could go to a slave market and buy a woman, a man or a child away from his/her parents. You could keep them in servitude, and sell them if you pleased. This system was supported by most of the founding fathers (good on slave owner Ben Franklin for changing and proposing an end to slavery. He failed, of course).
One of the triggers of the Civil War was the expansion of slavery into the newly subjugated lands of the west. There was a great controversy over whether slavery would expand, just 157 years ago. That isn't ancient history.
My country, Canada, joined its British masters in supporting the Confederate slave society, by the way, even allowing Confederate cavalry to launch attacks from my hometown into northern Vermont. The much weaker US with cheap cotton a southern victory would have produced was very attractive to foreign powers at the time. So it's not from a position of righteousness I'm asking - we were conquering independent first nations and grabbing land too.
So prior to 1865, was the US a free country in your analysis?

Slaves/servants have been around from pretty much the beginning of time. People tend to overlook that and only see the US as being the starter or slavery.

 

[Rocky998]

You can join the army at age 17 and get deployed, using a M16 and a 9mm pistol for combat, firing live rounds. But once you get back home? You still can’t vote, legally own a gun, or legally drink. THAT is stupid.

I do agree with that

 

[Rocky998]

If you are not mature enough to drink or use a firearm responsibly, how are you mature enough to vote?
IIRC voting was reduced to 18 as a result of the draft in Vietnam era. In the US, the age of majority is 18, IMO full rights & responsibilities should be conferred at that time. If 18 is too young for one right, then the age should be raised for all.

Voting is much less dangerous than drinking or owning a fire arm.

 

[Essjay]

This thread has moved from the original subject into guns (and politics) and slavery (and politics).

WhistlingBadger pointed out in post #39 that this forum is not the right place for "weighty and contentious issues" but this seems to have been ignored.


The thread is now locked.