This speech was delivered by a white slave owner, William Lynch on the bank of the James River in 1712. What is so ironic is that the strategy planned by this man passed on to slaves masters continues to work in many areas of Black America today.

Gentlemen, I greet you here on the banks of the James River in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and twelve. First, I shall thank you, the gentlemen of the Colony of Virginia for bringing me here. I am here to help you solve some of your problems with slaves. Your invitation reached me on my modest plantation in the West Indies where I have experimented with some of the newest and still the oldest methods for control of slaves. Ancient Rome would envy us if my program is implemented.

As our boat sailed south on the James River, named for our Illustrious King, whose version of the Bible we cherish. I saw enough to know that your problem is not unique. While Rome used cords of wood as crosses for standing human bodies along it's old highways in great numbers, you are here using the tree and the rope on occasion.

I caught the whiff of a dead slave hanging from a tree a couple of miles back. You are not only losing valuable stock by hangings, you are having uprisings, slaves are running away, your crops are sometimes left in the fields too long for maximum profit, you suffer occasional fires, your animals are killed. Gentlemen, you know what your problems are; I do not need to elaborate. I am not here to enumerate your problems; however, I am here to introduce you to method of solving them.

In my bag here, I have a foolproof method for controlling your Black slaves. I guarantee every one of you that if installed correctly, it will control the slaves for at least 300 years. My method is simple. Any member of your family or your overseer can use it.

I have outlined a number of differences among the slaves, and I take these differences and make them bigger, I use FEAR, DISTRUST, and ENVY for control purposes. These methods have worked on my modest plantation in the West Indies and it will work throughout the South. Take this simple little list of difference, and think about them.

On top of my list is age but it is there only because it starts with an A; the second is color or shade, there is intelligence, size, sex, size plantations, status on plantation, attitude of owners, whether the slaves live in the valley, on the hill, east, west, north, south, have fine hair, course hair, or is tall or short.

Now that you have a list of differences, I shall give you an outline of action - but before that I shall assure you that DISTRUST is stronger than TRUST, and ENVY is stronger than ADULATION, Respect or Admiration.

The Black slave after receiving this indoctrination shall carry on and will become self-refueling and self-generating for hundreds of years, maybe thousands. Don't forget you must pitch the old Black male vs. the young Black male and the Young Black male against the Old Black male. You must use the Dark skin slaves vs. the light skin slaves and the Light skin slaves vs. the Dark skin slaves.

You must also have your white servants and overseers distrust all Blacks, but it is necessary that your slaves trust and depend on us. They must love, respect, and trust only us.

Gentlemen, these kits are your keys to control. Use them. Have your wives and children use them, never miss an opportunity. If used intensively for one year, the slaves themselves will remain perpetually distrustful. Thank you, gentlemen.

Source from: The Willie Lynch Letter And the Making of A Slave, Published by Lushena Books: Chicago, IL.

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