get rid of old blog text

Author: afbase

content/blog/2024-07-19-welcome.md

@@ -64,63 +64,4 @@ SlaveCodes.org is more than just a historical archive — it's a tool for unders
 
 [^cj]: <a href="#" class="tooltip-wrapper" data-bs-toggle="tooltip" data-bs-title="I'm dedicating this blog post to the late Christopher Johnson. His work on history of the drums in the United States is absolutely remarkable.">Johnson, Christopher</a>. [Musicians' Migratory Patterns: The African Drum as Symbol in Early America](https://www.routledge.com/Musicians-Migratory-Patterns-The-African-Drum-as-Symbol-in-Early-America/Johnson/p/book/9781032240091). Routledge, 2019.
 
-[^dizzy]: Gillespie, Dizzy. To Be, Or Not--to Bop. U of Minnesota Press, 2009.
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-title = "Welcome to SlaveCodes.org"
-description = "Introducing SlaveCodes.org to the World"
-date = 2024-07-20T07:04:00+00:00
-updated = 2024-07-20T07:04:00+00:00
-draft = false
-template = "blog/page.html"
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-[taxonomies]
-authors = ["Clinton Bowen"]
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-[extra]
-lead = "Illuminating a Foundational Jurisprudence"
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-In the summer of 2023, I had an observation about the drums in African American music relative to the African diaspora across the Americas.  I explored the migration of drums in the Atlantic slave trade and tried to develop reasoning around my hypothesis that the drums were not as centered in African American music relative to the music from the rest of the African diaspora across the Americas.
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-This led me down a path of historical inquiry on  <a href="#" class="tooltip-wrapper" data-bs-toggle="tooltip" data-bs-title="any of the set of rules based on the concept that enslaved persons were property, not persons.">slave codes</a> and their effect on the drums and music in the Americas. In my experience there was great difficulty in curating slave codes for this effort and that made me realize that it would be very difficult for _anyone_ else to find information on slave codes. This has lead to the creation of SlaveCodes.org. 
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-No one should have to struggle so much to learn about the slave codes. Slave codes are foundational jurisprudence to the colonies and subsequent countries founded in the Americas.
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-## Our Mission
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-SlaveCodes.org aims to collect, translate, and make accessible the slave codes that were in effect during the Atlantic Slave Trade, from the 1400s to the late 1800s. Our focus spans the Americas, encompassing laws drafted by colonial powers under Portuguese, English, American, French, and or Spanish rule.
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-SlaveCodes.org intends to translate these codes into English, Spanish, Portuguese, and French — the primary languages of the Atlantic slave trade. We strive to make this crucial historical information as accessible as possible to researchers, educators, and the general public.
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-## The Lasting Impact of Slave Codes
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-The importance of studying slave codes extends far beyond historical curiosity. These laws laid the groundwork for many aspects of modern society, influencing everything from racial attitudes to legal structures. A much abbreviated list of examples include:
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-1. **Stigmatization of Interracial Relationships**: The 1724 Code Noir of Louisiana forbade marriages between whites and blacks is one of several such examples. Similar laws persisted in the United States until 1967, when Loving v. Virginia finally struck them down across the United States.  Loving v. Virginia was cited in every opinion except Justice Thomas' in the 2022 ruling of [Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization](https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/21pdf/19-1392_6j37.pdf). 
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-2. **Policing and Incarceration**: Slave codes often empowered all white people to police the movements and gatherings of enslaved individuals. This mentality evolved into Jim Crow laws, lynch mobs, and continues to influence modern policing and incarceration practices that disproportionately affect Black communities.
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-3. **Freedom of Movement and Expression**: Requirements for enslaved people to carry passes when traveling off plantations can be seen as precursors to later laws like New York's Cabaret Laws, which required licenses for jazz musicians — often Black artists — to perform.
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-## Join Our Effort
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-Creating a comprehensive repository of slave codes is an enormous undertaking, and we need your help. We're seeking contributions from researchers, historians, and anyone with access to relevant historical documents. Whether you can provide full texts of slave codes, translations, or scholarly analysis, your input is invaluable.
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-As we build this resource, we're committed to maintaining the highest standards of historical accuracy. All contributions will be carefully vetted to ensure they meet the rigorous standards expected by academic researchers while remaining accessible to the general public.
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-SlaveCodes.org is more than just a historical archive — it's a tool for understanding the roots of many contemporary social issues. By shining a light on these foundational legal structures, we hope to contribute to more informed discussions about race, law, and society in the modern world.
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-We invite you to explore the slave codes, read our blog posts, and join us in this crucial work of historical preservation and social understanding. Together, we can uncover the often-hidden foundations of our society and work towards a more just future.
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-Please take a look at the published [slave codes](/codes/)! At the time of writing this, there is only one slave code published but many more will be on the way!
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-## The Drum Ban: A Case Study in Cultural Suppression
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-I'll end this post with a some details about the drums.
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-The relative absence of drumming traditions in African American culture, which initially sparked this project, offers a poignant example of how slave codes shaped cultural development. Several slave codes explicitly banned drums, recognizing their potential as tools for communication and community-building among enslaved people.
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-For instance, following the Stono Rebellion in 1739, South Carolina's Slave Act of 1740 prohibited "drums, horns, or other loud instruments, which may call together, or give sign or notice to one another of their wicked designs or purposes." Similar laws were enacted in Georgia and other states.
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-This suppression had lasting effects, fundamentally altering the development of African American music. African American Jazz legend Dizzy Gillespie eloquently described this impact in his autobiography: "It's strange how the white people tried to keep us separate from the Africans and from our heritage. That's why, today, you don't hear in our music, as much as you do in other parts of the world, African heritage, because they took our drum away from us." This loss went beyond just the physical instruments. Gillespie noted a profound rhythmic shift: "As far as our heritage goes, ... with those few exceptions when they took our drums away, our music developed along a monorhythmic line. It wasn't polyrhythmic like African music." This transition from the rich, layered polyrhythms characteristic of African music to a simpler monorhythmic structure illustrates the deep-seated cultural impact of slave codes, reshaping the very foundation of African American musical expression.
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+[^dizzy]: Gillespie, Dizzy. To Be, Or Not--to Bop. U of Minnesota Press, 2009.