The slavery virus was alive and well in America when our new nation was born on July 4, 1776.  Our founding fathers understood the dangers that particular virus presented, but they realized that independence was not attainable without support from colonies where slavery was practiced.

We Americans like to think General Lee's surrender eighty-nine years later at Appomattox Court House, which ended the Civil War, meant the end of slavery in America.  The suffering and expenses the Civil War caused were enormous, but even with that, the evil of slavery took other forms in America by suppressing black rights until Dr. King and others emerged in the 1960s.

Beyond our borders, slavery has re-emerged under the banner of communism.  America's ongoing love affair with cheap labor in 2022 is enabling slavery to thrive overseas.  The legacy of slavery is still with us as long as we support it in other countries.

One of the greatest minds in America's history, Ben Franklin, wrote in 1751, "The Whites who have Slaves, not laboring, are enfeebled."  Franklin, a slave-owner, had the self-awareness to know that he too was infected by too many Americans' reliance on cheap or slave labor.

One of America's adopted sons, General Lafayette, saw the danger that slavery posed to America.  He strongly advised his friend and mentor, General Washington, to use his influence to abolish slavery.  In a telling response, Washington asked, "Who will work if we have not slaves?"  The enfeeblement Franklin spoke of is evident in Washington's reply to Lafayette.

Those in America who support "open borders" or call for mass amnesty for all the illegal aliens in this country claim that we need these people to do work that citizens are unwilling to do.  The enfeeblement that Franklin described is also evident in this argument.

Image: Chinese factory workers.  YouTube screen grab.

I grew up hearing that work, any work, is noble.  When we tell ourselves there are jobs that are beneath us, we sound like the entitled nobles of Europe whom our ancestors wanted to escape.  As we buy Chinese goods, we are enriching the biggest slave plantation in human history.  We are also enriching the Chinese communists, who are eager to replace our democratic ideals with their form of slavery.

I honor Franklin, Lafayette, Washington, Grant, and Lincoln.  They did pretty well with the hand they were dealt.  Slavery in America existed before any of them was born.

Leftists will dispute my claim that communism is a sugar-coated name for slavery.  They will call it "a workers' paradise."  They will brag about Cuban health care.  These same people overlook reports that well over 90 million people died in the 20th century, under the rule of socialism's misbegotten children, communism and fascism.  They sound like the dwindling number of Southerners in this country who wistfully claim that many slave-owners treated their slaves well.

But I ask you, are people trying to emigrate to Cuba, North Korea, or China?  Why are the Chinese trying to get Sony to remove scenes from a recent movie showing the Statue of Liberty?  Why is Chinese access to the internet so restricted?  What are they afraid of?

The most ironic aspect of communism is that no one is free.  Shakespeare said, "Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown."  Imagine what it is like for the Chinese rulers to enslave over a billion people.  What would happen if a large portion of them decided to revolt?  People yearn to be free, and that knowledge must give the Chinese leaders fitful nights.

Our system is far from perfect, but most of us still aim for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.  Most of us still believe that all men are created equal.  Meanwhile, China and its minions are coming up with new and improved ways to control people.  Sadly, some American politicians and tech billionaires are helping them.

The ongoing fight against slavery continues.  Which side are you on?