Rosa Silva was enrolled in CJYO, Fall 2011.
Freedom and Slavery: In the Spirit of Independence Day
by Rosa Silva
As everyone celebrates the 4th of July – America’s Independence Day, I would like to take the opportunity to reflect on the freedom so many of us are blessed to enjoy every day of our life. Does anyone really know what freedom truly is?
According to the Merriam-Webster’s Online Dictionary freedom is defined as
1. The quality or state of being free: as
a. the absence of necessity, coercion, or constraint in choice or action, and
b. liberation from slavery or restraint or from the power of another: independence.
I am sure everyone also has his or her own personal definition of what freedom is but when reflecting upon our own definition of freedom we need to ask is freedom really free.
Freedom Is It Really Free
“On July 2, 1776, the Continental Congress voted in favor of Lee’s resolution for independence in a near-unanimous vote (the New York delegation abstained, but later voted affirmatively.” Although “the vote for actual independence” was affirmed on July 2, 1776, it wasn’t until July 4, 1776, that Congress formally adopted the Declaration of Independence and until July 4, 1870, that July 4th was made a federal holiday. (July 4th, 2013) Although many of us who live in the United States of America believe that we are truly free today we enjoy our freedom because of the many lives that have been sacrificed for this freedom.
Since the enactment of our independence from Great Britain, countless lives have been lost so that we all may enjoy our freedom. I can attest to this because of friend of mine lost her husband Albert V. Sanchez on June 24, 2006, at 33 years of age, when he succumbed to the injuries sustained when an improvised explosive device denoted near his Humvee during combat operations in Balad, Iraq.
There are many men and women whose lives are lost and ruined in order for us to enjoy our freedom. Therefore, can you actually say we are truly free when brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, daughters and sons are losing their life? What price would you pay to continue enjoying your freedom? Would you allow your son or daughter, father or mother, sister or brother to go into combat for our freedom? What about the countless number of veterans who are disabled and who suffer with the daily struggles of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injuries? What about the countless number of families who deal with the daily reality that has affected their life because of these issues? Many of us are able to live in freedom because we were born on the right side of the border or in a country that promotes freedom and democracy. I hope that as you celebrate with barbeques and fireworks that many of you reflect on the true meaning of freedom.
Slavery Has It Been Abolished?
On the other hand, there is the issue of slavery, which was abolished on “January 31, 1865 when Congress passed and then on December 6, 1865, ratified the 13th Amendment abolishing slavery in the United States.” This enactment provided that, “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.” (The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration , 2013) That being said, has slavery truly been abolished just because the 13th Amendment was passed and ratified?
The answer to that question is a resounding NO! In the September 2003 issue of National Geographic, Andrew Cockburn noted, “There are more slaves today than were seized from Africa in four centuries of the trans-Atlantic slave trade.” (Cockburn, 2003) During the trans-Atlantic slave trade, which was a period of 400 years, “It is estimated that between 15 to 20 million people, men, women and children, were deported from their homes and sold as slaves in the different slave trading systems.” (United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime, 2013)
Many people today are not aware that there are approximately 27 million slaves worldwide. Fellow human beings are being trafficked daily everywhere around the world. Many Americans believe that human trafficking is an international issue but the reality is that human trafficking occurs in our own backyard. California, TEXAS, Nevada and New York are the top four destination states for human trafficking victims. (Weave Inc. , 2013) The Department of Justice designated I-10 as the major route where humans are trafficked within the United States. (Children At Risk , 2013) The I-10 corridor runs from California to Florida and connects to major highways and interstates in both Texas and New Mexico. Human Trafficking is not merely sex trafficking it can also include forced labor and child labor. Over 50% of all victims are women and children. Human Trafficking is a lucrative trade in which brings in $32 billion dollar for greedy traffickers. We are not fully aware of how many victims are out there because it is a very secretive trade that happens right under our noses. In addition, many victims are traumatized to not talk to authorities in order to be set free from enslavement.
As people living in the United States we take for granted the freedom that we are able to enjoy on a daily basis while others are enslaved as victims of human trafficking or are giving their lives for our freedom. In the spirit of the Independence Holiday it is important to contemplate on the true meaning of freedom while remembering those who either fight for our freedom or who are enslaved as victims of the human trafficking trade. By reflecting on these issues we can truly understand the meaning of freedom and how many of us have been blessed to be able to have freedom because where we were born or were able to freely come into.
References
July 4th. (2013, July 3). Retrieved from The History Channel: http://www.history.com/topics/july-4th
Cockburn, A. (2003, September ). 21st Century Slaves. Retrieved from National Geographic: http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0309/feature1/
The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration . (2013, July 2). America's Historical Documents. Retrieved from National Archives: http://www.archives.gov/historical-docs/document.html?doc=9&title.raw=13th%20Amendment%20to%20the%20U.S.%20Constitution%3A%20Abolition%20of%20Slavery
United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime. (2013, July 3). Remembering Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade . Retrieved from United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime: https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/human-trafficking/2012/remembering-the-victims-of-slavery-and-the-transatlantic-slave-trade.html
