Philadelphia was a bustling city in the early 1700’s. The men looked down over the rails of the great ship as the gangplanks were lowered. A loud whistling could be heard above the din of the huge crowd gathered on the docks.
‘Do you hear that Covenwald? That whistling sounds like my driver”.
“The crowd is huge sir. It sounds like it’s coming from over near those buildings.”
“Ah, yes Covenwald, there is my Carriage.” Raising his hands to his face, the Colonel lets out a deafening whistle with the same sound as that coming from below.
The man sitting on top of the carriage waved. He was a well-dressed black man, and there were two black women sitting on the back of the carriage.
“Are they your slaves, sir”?
“They are your new family Covenwald”, the Colonel scoffs.
“Family, sir”?
“You’ll find out soon enough. As soon as they get these planks down I’ll be on my way”.
“Don’t you mean we, sir”?
“We, Covenwald, is irrelevant now. I am your new master, and you are nothing but another servant. You will do as you are told or you will be punished accordingly. You are no longer in England”!
With that, Covenwald’s face turned white. He had never heard the Colonel speak with such a tone, and punishment? He had entered into an agreement to be a servant, not a slave. Although he had seen what he believed were to be freed slaves in England, he had never seen slavery in practice.
“Punishment, sir”?
“I’m sure that won’t be necessary for you Covenwald, after all, your father knew William Penn”!