YOU MAY WISH TO DELETE THIS .... Noting some comments on the election and avoiding same... Here is a brief synopsis of our Craig Family's impact on our election process: As you know, most of our Craig ancestors that arrived before or during the Revolutionary War arrived in indentured or bonded service. Many served masters contracted directly in the British Isles others had their servitude auctioned off after they arrived. In any case, they became the chattel property of the holder of their indenture. They could be whipped or jailed for cause and the women were often forced to submit to the owner of their indenture. Children were abused in many terrible ways. This was fully permitted under the colonial laws of the Crown. Most of those under indenture were Scots forced from their land and threatened with prison if they remained, Irish that were treated likewise and English who were being cleaned of the streets of London and charged as debtors or other undesirables. Many think that only Australia was used as a dumping ground for people the gentry wanted to get rid of for various reasons. The truth is, many of our ancestors who arrived here had been charged with imaginary crimes in order to exploit their lands and property. Canada and the United States were also a destination for our exploited ancestors charged as criminals or otherwise under threat by the Crown and exploitive gentry. These were the people who became the farmers and pioneers stock of our country. The two most famous Generals of the Crown stated in their memoirs that the reason for their defeat was not Washington or the American Army, they scoffed at them. They stated clearly that the farmer with the rifle hanging from the plow handle was the reason they were beaten. These previously indentured folk had slaved through their indenture or escaped, to become landowner, (Freeholders) and would never again submit to the tyrants of the Crown. The militia made of these staunch revolutionaries was the primary reason we are free today. Craigs made up a fair part of this revolutionary group. We owe our freedom to them and their kind. In reality, Jefferson, Washington and their peers were the new gentry in this young land and wanted make sure that all the Freeholders would back the new government. For that reason, the original Articles of Confederation and later the Constitution, guaranteed that all Freeholders (and only they) had the right to vote. This right to vote was seen by Jefferson, Adams and others of the more privileged gentry that were of course included as Freeholders, as a great risk. After all, the majority of the Freeholders were ignorant and could not really be trusted to vote for the right person for president. Those concerned worked out a great solution for the problem. This was a Republic and not a democracy for that very reason.... the rank and file of the voters could not be trusted to anything more than vote for a representative from their area who was then only obligated to vote as he might choose and not as the constituency wanted. In order to solve the problem of selecting a president the Electoral College was established. It was ingenious. All Freeholders could vote but they only elected a states electors. Of course these electors knew more than those that voted for them (they were appointed from a knowledgeable and informed ... read that "more intelligent" group). This allowed a president to be elected that was the most appropriate .. in the view of the power structure. These people never believed in or wanted this country to be a democracy, but rather a platonic Republic. We have the Electoral Collage because it was a way to keep the masses believing they had a say in the election, while in truth it was originally a way to maintain a tight control of the process. By accident, as we grew from 13 states to 50... It now permits the under-populated states from being controlled by the wishes of a handful of states like NY & Cal. .... but be aware, that result was only an accident. So ... remember, our citizen solders, those Craig Freeholders and others never wanted a strong central government, not even a strong state government ... they wanted it as close to them as possible because they had learned to despise ( and many died because of ) a prior strong central government ... Despite what the Constitution appeared to provide ... always be aware that it creators only intended it to apply to their definition of EVERY MAN and they thought they had it under control by the forming a Republic and then controlling presidential elections. What we have today is a result of CHANGES in interpretation and rejection of their interpretation of WHO COUNTS. Thanks to our Craig Ancestors and others like them for demanding their personal freedom and continuing to reject the CROWN throughout the years of our country's development. How do we honor their memory Gary D. Craig garygdc@att.net

Gary, Damn, I'm proud to be your cousin! Remember what your 5th great grandfather James Galloway said? -" I love my adopted country and I love my freedom." Dana -----Original Message----- From: Gary Craig [mailto:garygdc@worldnet.att.net] Sent: Sunday, January 21, 2001 7:07 PM To: CRAIG-L@rootsweb.com Subject: [CRAIG-L] Craigs & US History YOU MAY WISH TO DELETE THIS .... Noting some comments on the election and avoiding same... Here is a brief synopsis of our Craig Family's impact on our election process: As you know, most of our Craig ancestors that arrived before or during the Revolutionary War arrived in indentured or bonded service. Many served masters contracted directly in the British Isles others had their servitude auctioned off after they arrived. In any case, they became the chattel property of the holder of their indenture. They could be whipped or jailed for cause and the women were often forced to submit to the owner of their indenture. Children were abused in many terrible ways. This was fully permitted under the colonial laws of the Crown. Most of those under indenture were Scots forced from their land and threatened with prison if they remained, Irish that were treated likewise and English who were being cleaned of the streets of London and charged as debtors or other undesirables. Many think that only Australia was used as a dumping ground for people the gentry wanted to get rid of for various reasons. The truth is, many of our ancestors who arrived here had been charged with imaginary crimes in order to exploit their lands and property. Canada and the United States were also a destination for our exploited ancestors charged as criminals or otherwise under threat by the Crown and exploitive gentry. These were the people who became the farmers and pioneers stock of our country. The two most famous Generals of the Crown stated in their memoirs that the reason for their defeat was not Washington or the American Army, they scoffed at them. They stated clearly that the farmer with the rifle hanging from the plow handle was the reason they were beaten. These previously indentured folk had slaved through their indenture or escaped, to become landowner, (Freeholders) and would never again submit to the tyrants of the Crown. The militia made of these staunch revolutionaries was the primary reason we are free today. Craigs made up a fair part of this revolutionary group. We owe our freedom to them and their kind. In reality, Jefferson, Washington and their peers were the new gentry in this young land and wanted make sure that all the Freeholders would back the new government. For that reason, the original Articles of Confederation and later the Constitution, guaranteed that all Freeholders (and only they) had the right to vote. This right to vote was seen by Jefferson, Adams and others of the more privileged gentry that were of course included as Freeholders, as a great risk. After all, the majority of the Freeholders were ignorant and could not really be trusted to vote for the right person for president. Those concerned worked out a great solution for the problem. This was a Republic and not a democracy for that very reason.... the rank and file of the voters could not be trusted to anything more than vote for a representative from their area who was then only obligated to vote as he might choose and not as the constituency wanted. In order to solve the problem of selecting a president the Electoral College was established. It was ingenious. All Freeholders could vote but they only elected a states electors. Of course these electors knew more than those that voted for them (they were appointed from a knowledgeable and informed ... read that "more intelligent" group). This allowed a president to be elected that was the most appropriate .. in the view of the power structure. These people never believed in or wanted this country to be a democracy, but rather a platonic Republic. We have the Electoral Collage because it was a way to keep the masses believing they had a say in the election, while in truth it was originally a way to maintain a tight control of the process. By accident, as we grew from 13 states to 50... It now permits the under-populated states from being controlled by the wishes of a handful of states like NY & Cal. .... but be aware, that result was only an accident. So ... remember, our citizen solders, those Craig Freeholders and others never wanted a strong central government, not even a strong state government ... they wanted it as close to them as possible because they had learned to despise ( and many died because of ) a prior strong central government ... Despite what the Constitution appeared to provide ... always be aware that it creators only intended it to apply to their definition of EVERY MAN and they thought they had it under control by the forming a Republic and then controlling presidential elections. What we have today is a result of CHANGES in interpretation and rejection of their interpretation of WHO COUNTS. Thanks to our Craig Ancestors and others like them for demanding their personal freedom and continuing to reject the CROWN throughout the years of our country's development. How do we honor their memory Gary D. Craig garygdc@att.net ==== CRAIG Mailing List ==== All material sent through Craig-L is copyright 2000 by its original author permission must be obtained from the original author for the reuse of any text, "whole or in part". 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