slavery

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3 Women Freed After 30 Years' Captivity in London

2 arrested in investigation into 'slavery, domestic servitude'

(Newser) - Police have rescued three women from a London house where they were allegedly held captive and may have been treated as slaves for 30 years or more, NBC News reports. Authorities were first contacted about the situation last month, by a domestic abuse nonprofit. The women—a 69-year-old Malaysian woman,...

12 Years a Slave a Film &#39;For the Ages&#39;
 12 Years a Slave a 
 Film 'for the Ages' 
movie review
Oct 18, 2013 6:30 AM CDT

12 Years a Slave a Film 'for the Ages'

Steve McQueen directs stark look at US slavery

(Newser) - Steve McQueen's 12 Years a Slave is winning widespread praise for its unflinching—and brilliantly acted—portrayal of the horrors of slavery. The film, adapted from Solomon Northup's 1853 memoir, tells the story of a free man tricked into enslavement on a Louisiana plantation.
  • "Movie audiences have
...

Number of Slaves on the Planet: 30M

Victims in 162 countries; half are in India

(Newser) - Slavery continues to afflict almost 30 million people across the planet—in every one of 162 countries surveyed in a new report. India is home to 13.9 million slaves, by far the largest number; relative to population, however, Mauritania has the highest rate, with 4% of the population enslaved...

The American Revolution Was a Failure

Historian Paul Pirie argues that the Founders fell short of their aims

(Newser) - Americans adore their revolution, but former historian Paul Pirie doesn't think it was terribly successful—at least not if you judge it against countries like Canada (from whence Pirie hails) that kept their monarchies, or by its own stated goal of advancing life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness....

Stop Mindlessly Glorifying the Civil War

Tony Horwitz looks at the historians challenging our rose-colored recollections

(Newser) - We're coming up on the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg, and odds are we'll hear a lot about heroism and that famed address, Tony Horwitz writes at the Atlantic —and almost nothing about the "unromantic slaughter" in places like Iverson's Pits, where soldiers...

New Hampshire Finally Frees 14 Slaves

Move comes 234 years after request

(Newser) - Fourteen slaves who petitioned the New Hampshire Legislature for their freedom during the Revolutionary War were granted posthumous emancipation today when the governor signed a largely symbolic bill that supporters hope will encourage future generations to pursue social justice. Slaves who had fought in the war submitted a petition to...

'Confederate Heritage Month' Is Appalling

Yes, Georgia really does celebrate this: John Avlon

(Newser) - When John Avlon heard yesterday that Georgia is celebrating Confederate Heritage and History Month, he thought it was an April Fools' joke. But no, it's real—signed into law by the governor in 2009 and celebrated by six other states—and Avlon talked to backer Ray McBerry all about...

New Database Tracks Slave Graveyards Across US

Fordham researcher starts project to mark sites online

(Newser) - Fordham has launched a first-of-its kind national database designed to catalog places in the US where slaves are buried. The Burial Database Project of Enslaved African Americans is the brainchild of Fordham's Sandra Arnold, whose ancestors were slaves, reports the New York Times . The site relies on visitors to...

Sex Slavery Report Packed With Disturbing Details

Outlines 'clueless' UK officials, case of girl raped 90 times in weekend

(Newser) - A new report on British sex slavery slams officials for their "shocking" inability to curb the rise of modern slavery and human trafficking, the Guardian reports. Authors of the massive Centre for Social Justice report, due out tomorrow, offer more than 80 recommendations and criticize the "unacceptable levels...

Slavery Math Problems Outrage Parents

School asks students to tally slave deaths and whippings

(Newser) - Some New York City teachers have found themselves in hot water over a math assignment for fourth graders featuring questions like, "In a slave ship, there can be 3,799 slaves. One day, the slaves took over the ship. 1,897 are dead. How many slaves are alive?" The...

Mississippi Finally OKs 13th Amendment Banning Slavery

...148 years after it cleared Congress

(Newser) - Mississippi has officially ratified the 13th Amendment to the Constitution—a mere 148 years after the amendment outlawing slavery cleared Congress and was sent to state legislatures for approval. Mississippi's legislature voted to ratify the amendment in 1995, but it never became official because the state never notified the...

Lincoln Writer: Sorry I Changed History

Tony Kushner admits he fudged on Connecticut votes

(Newser) - It was only 15 seconds of fake history—but Lincoln screenwriter Tony Kushner owned up to them after a Connecticut lawmaker complained, reports Raw Story . Democratic Rep. Joe Courtney criticized the film for portraying two congressmen as voting against the 13th Amendment that abolished slavery. "Representative Courtney is correct...

Tarantino: Criticism Over N-Word 'Ridiculous'

'Django' is set in 1858 Mississippi, he says

(Newser) - Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained makes liberal use of the n-word, which has brought plenty of criticism the director's way. Salon picks up on an interview he did with Harvard's Henry Louis Gates in which he defends its use in the slavery drama:
  • "Personally, I find [the
...

Spike Lee to Tarantino: Slavery Isn't 'Spaghetti Western'

He slams 'Django Unchained'

(Newser) - Quentin Tarantino's Civil-War-era Django Unchained is getting good reviews from critics and audiences alike, but don't count Spike Lee in the thumbs-up camp. "I can't speak on it 'cause I'm not gonna see it," he tells Vibe . "All I'm going to...

Jefferson Was &#39;Creepy&#39;
 Jefferson Was 'Creepy' 
OPINION
Dec 1, 2012 7:32 AM CST

Jefferson Was 'Creepy'

Law professor says new biographies cut him too much slack on slavery

(Newser) - Two new high-profile biographies of Thomas Jefferson are out, and both go way too easy on him over slavery, writes Albany Law School professor Paul Finkelman in the New York Times . They're guilty of the sin committed by many Jefferson biographies—they either gloss over his slave-owning ways or...

Gay Marriage: What Would Lincoln Do?
 Gay Marriage: 
 What Would 
 Lincoln Do? 
OPINION
Nov 13, 2012 12:34 PM CST

Gay Marriage: What Would Lincoln Do?

Former president put practicality first: Cass Sunstein

(Newser) - Abraham Lincoln was deeply opposed to slavery—but when it came to the politics of ending the travesty, he took a highly practical approach, writes Cass Sunstein at Bloomberg . As a Senate candidate, Lincoln refused to call for immediate abolition, arguing that it wouldn't have public support. "A...

Bob Dylan: Slavery's Legacy 'Holds Back' America

Singer says first black president not enough to change hearts

(Newser) - Bob Dylan says the stigma of slavery ruined America and he doubts the country can get rid of the shame because it was "founded on the backs of slaves." The veteran musician tells Rolling Stone that in America "people (are) at each other's throats just because...

Haley Barbour Apologizes for Obama 'Hot Poker' Dig

Sorry, but I wasn't talking about branding prez, he says

(Newser) - Haley Barbour has apologized for a rude, crude—and some would say racist—suggestion about what to do to President Obama. "While I would love" for New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie to "put a hot poker to Obama’s butt , I thought he did what he was supposed...

Man Accused of Chaining Wife 10 Years

Police say husband in W. Va. tortured, enslaved her

(Newser) - A West Virginia man has been charged with "malicious wounding" after allegedly keeping his wife chained up for 10 years and torturing her. Police say Peter Lizon's wife showed up at a crisis center with scars on her wrists and ankles from her shackles, burns where he'd...

Adidas Kills 'Shackle' Shoe After Outcry

Footwear's echoes of slavery sparked outrage

(Newser) - Looks like the only place the Adidas "shackle" shoe will be walking is into the Museum of Bad Ideas. The company has canceled plans to release the JS Roundhouse Mids, which were to come with a plastic, bright orange chain and ankle cuffs, after an outcry from people who...

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