Africans in America/Part 2/Colin Powell on the spirit of liberty

<---Part 2: 1750-1805

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Colin Powell on the spirit of liberty Resource Bank Contents

Q: Can you talk about the spirit of liberty, and what causes people to go on these journeys of hope and uncertainty?

A: ...Once an ideal is turned loose and the genie is out of the bottle, ideals tend to be very, very corrosive to the existing structure. ...For a slave back in the 1770's, to suddenly be promised freedom! Freedom! No more master. No more "trapped here." No more having someone tell me what to do. No more being beaten or whipped. Freedom! ...That was an incredibly powerful motivation. It was the only alternative to slavery. ... Freedom, where it might get me a piece of land somewhere, or I might become a blacksmith and learn a trade, had to be an incredibly powerful motivator.

General Colin Powell
Former Head of The Joint Chiefs of Staff

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Q: Can you talk about the spirit of liberty, and what causes people to go on these journeys of hope and uncertainty?
	A: ...Once an ideal is turned loose and the genie is out of the bottle, ideals tend to be very, very corrosive to the existing structure. ...For a slave back in the 1770's, to suddenly be promised freedom! Freedom! No more master. No more "trapped here." No more having someone tell me what to do. No more being beaten or whipped. Freedom! ...That was an incredibly powerful motivation. It was the only alternative to slavery. ... Freedom, where it might get me a piece of land somewhere, or I might become a blacksmith and learn a trade, had to be an incredibly powerful motivator.
General Colin Powell Former Head of The Joint Chiefs of Staff
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