Tuesday, January 17, 2006
Who could this child have been? Would not the descendents of this child be now in line for a great material, as well as historical, legacy?
As we will see, this geneology case could not have lead the progeny to great material fortune, for the illegitimate child was a mulatto. She was also a genius and, in fact, the African American poetess, Phillis Wheatly. Enchanting, fastidious, concentrated and prolific, Phillis was one of the geniuses of her age.
There is evidence that suggests that Phyllis could remember back to the time when she was three months old!
Biographers conjecture that Phillis came from deepest, darkest Africa, from Senegal, Gambia or Ethiopia, etc. But as we will see, probably Phillis was born in America, a baby given away after the “alleged” death of her controversial but magnificent, slave mother, a pubescent obsession of George Washington, who referred to her in his letters. It is documented that the baby had a baptism performed about 3 months after her suspected mother died.
According to Ann Woodlief, “[Phillis’] only written memory of her birthplace was of her mother performing a ritual of pouring water before the sun as it rose.”
This would mean that the earliest memory Phillis had was one concerning her baptism at the age of about three months.
Many years later, in one of her poems, Phillis writes so eloquently:
“Some view our sable race with scornful eye,
Their [our] colour is a diabolic die.
“Remember, Christians,
Negroes, black as Cain,
May be refine’d and join th’ angelic train.”
These facts alone raise questions about the ultimate fate of George Washington. Could he ever had become the first President of the U.S. after such a breach of the code of conduct? It is well known that there was an assassination plot against him in 1777. Did it succeed? Portraits from the colonial period imply that there could have been a substitution. And who could have replaced George Washington? Was it possibly Horatio Gates, Peter Schuyler or possibly Arthur Lee? We will return to this topic later.
Eventually, it will become clear that the story that is really being told here is the story of "Jacob's Ladder." The expression "Jacob's Ladder" can be considered a metaphor for the military tradition of replacing fallen leaders with successors of the same name and without delay, such as in the tradition behind the expression, "The King is dead. Long live the King." It consisted of the taking over of identities of deceased persons without announcement. By means of this habit, a successor, even one not in the blood-line, but with the same family name, could inherit the property of his namesake. It is a principle not too different from the one practiced by Biblical Jacob, who covered his arms in animal skins to fool his father into thinking he was Esau, the older brother, who was in line to receive his father's blessing and birthright. It is my belief that this practice was applied many times in the lives of the American heroes we have celebrated for so long.
We can say this: Whoever was the first President of the U.S., he was a symbolic mascot, one among others, for the powerful interest group that he represented.
Settlers of the new continent were, in some ways, only marginally better off than the African captives, since their everyday affairs and activities could be suddenly interrupted or halted by the chief, military contenders, i.e., the British, the French, the Indians, the Spanish, etc. but also the Chinese and Old South Church, that were operating in their midst. The estates of settlers, their houses or persons could be seized at any time, as they went about their daily affairs between the continually occupying battalions. Their possessions could be burned or seized during witch-hunts, Indian raids, grass-roots or racial rebellions. Life could be treacherous and uncertain.
In 1754, like many others, George Washington was striving, amid this motley battlefield and display of sovereign powers and military institutions, to make his fortune. Among his personal qualities, he had a reticence, shrewdness and humility that inspired the confidence and respect of other young recruits. He was liked and regarded as a true son of the American soil, with a love of nature and knowledge of the natural terrain that was truly considerable. Although a young land owner and budding, potential country gentleman, he obviously aspired to a military career and title.
In principle, this meant that much of his time would be spent in uncomfortable forts, short of provisions and uniforms, where soldiers died usually of starvation or disease and sometimes of grievous wounds without the help of any medical treatment. The profession of "soldier" was not just a job; In fact, it was a man trap.
Copyright 2005 La Di La Dah.
