Union and West End Cemetery

The Union and West End Cemetery is located in center city Allentown. The main entrance is on 10th Street at 10th and Chew Streets. The cemetery is mantained by a dedicated group of volunteers. Ten board members (also volunteers) serve the cemetery association and manage the finances, make application for grants, solicit donations and participate in the maintenance of the cemetery.

Thursday, February 01, 2007

Slavery in America 1619-1865

'Inalienable rights.'. . 'Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness'. . . 'We hold these truths to be self-evident.'. . .

But of course the Declaration of Independence did not apply to all.

Jamestown was settled in Virginia in 1607. The first African slave came in 1619. All slaves were freed by 1865 during the American Civil War, chiefly by the enactment of the Emancipation Proclamation. From 1619 until 1865, people of African descent were legally enslaved within the boundaries of the United States by whites; some were enslaved by Indians and free blacks. The economy of the country was enhanced by the labor afforded by slavery. Over half a million Africans were brought over from Africa during the slave trade, but because laws made the offspring of slaves as slaves, the slave population in the United States grew to 4 million by the 1860.