Why Did They Erase Richard Somers from Our National Memory? Was It Any of These Eleven Inconvenient Truths?

BY SETH GROSSMAN

Left to Right:  LibertyAndProsperity.com Treasurer Bruce Barkoff, Director Paul Klepacki, Republican Congressman Jeff Van Drew, Director Mike Smith, Republican Somers Point Councilman Michael Owen, and LibertyAndProsperity.com member Alan Stearne.  Photo taken shortly after event.  Atlantic County Surrogate Jim Curcio, a Republican, and roughly three dozen others also attended the outdoor, socially distanced event on September 4, 2020.

One September 4, 1804, 26 year old Richard Somers and all twelve of his crew were killed instantly, when their “fireship” Intrepid exploded in the harbor of Tripoli, North Africa.  Their goal was to destroy the last of the “Turkish flotilla” and bring a three year war to an end.  Earlier this month, we held a ceremony in his boyhood home of Somers Point, New Jersey on that same day 216 years later.

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LibertyAndProsperity.com and the Somers Point Historical Society have been holding events to remember Richard Somers ever since 2004, the 200th year of his death in Tripoli.  In 2004 and 2006 both Jeff Van Drew (then Democrat) and Jack Gibson (Republican), then the two Assembly Members representing Somers Point, obtained resolutions from the entire NJ State Assembly recognizing the importance of Richard Somers in New Jersey and American history.  Both resolutions are displayed in our Somers Point office.

We were joined by Republican Congressman Jeff Van Drew, who presented us with a Proclamation to recognize the event.  We were also joined by Republican Surrogate Jim Curcio who represented Atlantic County.  Republican Councilman Michael Owen represented the City of Somers Point.

Several local radio hosts promoted the event.  They included Harry Hurley and John DeMasi of WPGTalkRadio.com 95.5 FM, and Dan Klein, Ann Baker, and Don Williams of WONDRadio.com 1400AM.

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Two weeks earlier, Sally Hastings and the Somers Point Historical Society opened a new maritime exhibit in their nearby Historical Museum.  That museum explains the remarkable story of the people who settled in this area 350 years ago, and how they achieved exceptional success.  More particularly, it explains our traditions of sailing and shipbuilding that inspired and prepared Richard Somers for his historic mission.  Click here for details on that story.

https://www.libertyandprosperity.com/local-hero-richard-somers-this-year-we-talked-about-the-south-jersey-he-grew-up-in-an-exceptional-land-of-liberty-prosperity-and-boundless-opportunities-even-by-todays-woke-standards/

However, we were disappointed by the community leaders, organizations and institutions who ignored the event.  There was no publicity in area daily or weekly newspapers or any of the Philadelphia TV stations.   There was no participation by Stockton University or any local public schools.  Not a single library in the area had a program, lecture, or exhibit about Richard Somers.  Why?

Richard Somers was not guilty of any of the “sins” that caused other historical figures like Christopher Columbus to be “cancelled”. 

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Neither Richard Somers, nor any members of his family owned or traded in slaves.  On the contrary, they were Quakers.  They were among the first Americans to aggressively and systematically work to end slavery in this country, and to help freed slaves live independent, productive lives.  They created comfortable lives for themselves by supplementing their farm income with other businesses.  Richard Somers great-grandfather John Somers started a ferry to connect the New York road with the Cape May stagecoach road.

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Another relative, James Somers built a dam and road (now known as Central Avenue) across the Patcong Creek which now separates Linwood and Egg Harbor Township.  The water current from that dam powered two mills.  A grist mill on the Linwood side of the creek was used to grind grain into flour. The other was a sawmill, used to make lumber for buildings and ships.

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William Penns’s treaty with Native Americans in Pennsylvania, 1680s.

William Penn controlled all land titles in South Jersey (then called West Jersey) as well as in Pennsylvania.  He did not approve any land titles without proof that no Native Americans claimed that land, and that all sales of land by Native Americans were fair and voluntary.

Neither Richard Somers, nor any members of his family killed or mistreated Indians, now called Native Americans.  South Jersey was settled by Quakers under the leadership of William Penn.  Penn gave strict orders not to occupy any land claimed by Native Americans, unless that land was sold freely and voluntarily for a fair price.   Those orders were carried out.   Although the Leni Lenape Indians (also called the Delaware) often fished, gathered berries, and harvested claims in and around South Jersey, they had few permanent settlements here. That all became known in 1995, when the mayor of the beach resort of Wildwood spent years in court trying to get approvals allowing a Leni Lenape casino there.

There were no laws preventing women from voting, owning property, or holding public office in New Jersey when Richard Somers was alive here.

So why was Richard Somers cancelled?   Was it any of these eleven “inconvenient truths” that don’t support the narrative of today’s “woke” socialists and communists?

  1.  Richard Somers,  like most young men of his day, finished eight years of formal schooling by age 16.  At that time, he had better knowledge of reading, writing, history, literature, science, and mathematics than most college graduates today.

  2. Richard Somers, like most young men of his day, mastered a useful skill or trade by age 17.   Richard Somers mastered sailing and navigation. By age 17, he was in charge of “coasters”, sailing ships that carried cargo between New York and Philadelphia.

  3. When Richard Somers finished school, America was such a peaceful nation, that we had an army of only 5,200 men, and no navy at all.

  4. America only started to build a navy in 1796, thirteen years after we won our independence.  That was when Americans got tired of paying bribes and tribute to Islamic “Barbary Pirates” in the Mediterranean and French pirates in the Caribbean.  Under international law at the time, the “Barbary Pirates” were not criminal “pirates” like the French.  They could be executed when captured.  The “Barbary Pirates were instead “corsairs” or “privateers” for Islamic nations legally at war with non-Muslim nations that did not pay them tribute.

  5. When Richard Somers was 20 years old, he gave up a promising career as a private ship captain, to join our new navy in Annapolis at age 20.

  6. In 1801, President Thomas Jefferson sent our new navy to fight the “Barbary Pirates”.  He put 23 year old Richard Somers in command of the Nautilus, a 160 ton warship with 20 cannons and a crew of 100 men.  Richard Somers sailed that ship, without incident, across the Atlantic Ocean, to Spain, and then the Mediterranean.  Most other ship commanders of the U.S. Navy at that time were the same age as Richard Somers.

  7. America was the only nation to fight the “Barbary Pirates” of North Africa.  England, France, Spain, and Portugal, the major sea powers found it cheaper to pay tribute than fight them.  Only Americans said “Millions for defense, not one cent for tribute”.

  8. For three years, young Americans like Richard Somers won the admiration of the world by defeating the Islamic “pirates” in battle after battle.  After one battle, Pope Pius VII publicly declared, “The American commander, with a small force, and in a short space of time, has done more for the cause of Christianity than the most powerful nations of Christendom have done for ages”.

  9. Although Richard Somers failed in his attempt to destroy “the Turkish flotilla” in Tripoli on September 4, 1804, he inspired other Americans to continue the fight, and win a decisive battle “on the shores of Tripoli” one year later.

  10. The Islamic kingdoms of North Africa that ordered their “pirates” to attack American ships were also part of a massive slave industry.   Their “pirates” also captured and enslaved thousands of white Europeans and tens of thousands of black Africans each year and either put them to work  themselves, or sold them throughout the Arab world.  The most brutal slave work was being chained to the oars which powered the warships of the “Barbary Pirates” when there was not enough wind.

  11. When America defeated the Barbary Pirates in 1805, and again in 1815, we effectively ended the African slave trade.  This also made many Americans aware of the horrors of slavery, and intensified efforts to end slavery in America.

This story of Richard Somers is a key to understanding the story of America, when America was great.  It is there inconvenient to those who hate America, and want to divide us and tear us apart.

And, of course, Richard Somers was a white, Christian male.  During the past thirty years, our schools, colleges, media, and Hollywood pop culture have falsely blamed white, Christian men for almost every problem in the world today.

Many candidates for public office in this year’s election are winning votes by just by being of a  different race or gender.  Teaching young people about white, Christian, male heroes like Richard Somers does not promote that political agenda.

Click here for more details of the Richard Somers story.

https://www.libertyandprosperity.com/local-hero-richard-somers-this-year-we-talked-about-the-south-jersey-he-grew-up-in-an-exceptional-land-of-liberty-prosperity-and-boundless-opportunities-even-by-todays-woke-standards/

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Sign the petition to stop Murphy’s Sanctuary State plan.

Our porous borders will only get worse…

The importation of illegal narcotics and opioids…

And illegal firearms…

The modern slavery of human trafficking…

And the sexual exploitation of women and children…

Will only get worse.  Unless you do something about it. 

Some people think securing our border is just about protecting American jobs.   

But a secure border is about more than just jobs.  Secure borders help prevent human trafficking and the exploitation of children.  Secure borders fight modern day slavery.

The United Nations has issued reports showing human trafficking is the fastest growing organized criminal activity on earth.  A porous border not only facilitates the trafficking of illegal narcotics, opioids, and illegal firearms – it is a boon to modern day slavery – the trafficking and sale of human beings, especially children.

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Some have adopted dangerously naïve views about border security.  In their hatred for President Trump, they have embraced calls to abolish ICE (Immigration & Customs Enforcement) – even though it was funded and operated under the administrations of Presidents Clinton, Bush, and Obama.  The abolition of ICE would open the doors to a nightmarish wild west scenario.  Without ICE, who will be around to prevent the living horror of modern slavery? 

The statements made by Senators Cory Booker and Bob Menendez, and congressional candidates Andy Kim, Tom Malinowski, Mikie Sherrill, and Jeff Van Drew have been shocking.  We’re not condemning a party here, or its members, but only those who have taken leave of their senses in a mindless quest for votes. 

Many are following the worst path when it comes to border security.  In an effort to elevate the plight of the undocumented immigrant here illegally, their irrational demands for change will open the floodgates to all manner of terrible consequences – to lawlessness, violence, and slavery.

What Booker and Menendez, Andy Kim, Tom Malinowski, Mikie Sherrill, and Jeff Van Drew are advocating for will make our borders more porous – allowing thousands more victims (mainly women and children) to be shipped and sold like cattle, welcoming more dangerous illegal drugs into our communities, and providing illegal firearms for organized criminal gangs.

There have been many responsible voices from both parties, but they have been drowned out by the media’s attention on emotional and irrational ideas like that of Governor Phil Murphy, who has made it his mission to turn New Jersey into a Sanctuary State and to instruct state and local law enforcement not to cooperate with federal agencies.  Whatever good intentions Murphy has in this are undone by the consequences of weakening border security in the midst of an illegal narcotic and opioid crisis and a growing problem with human trafficking and child exploitation (as his own Attorney General has said).

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We need to clearly instruct our county and local law enforcement to work with federal agencies to strengthen border security and the interdiction of illegal narcotics, opioids, illegal firearms, and human trafficking networks that exploit women and children sexually. 

Our law enforcement community does not like the idea of being strong-armed by the Governor into violating federal law.  They are standing up to those who foolishly want to sever cooperation between local law enforcement and federal agencies.  We need to stand with them.

Alongside law enforcement, we will fight Governor Murphy and his administration on this.  We will fight the Trenton bureaucrats and the professional lobbyists on this.

How?

A petition drive is being launched – county by county – asking the Freeholders of each county to place a public question on the ballot in their county.  These ballot questions will ask voters to instruct their Sheriff or local law enforcement in fully cooperating with federal agencies and ignore all orders from the Murphy administration to the contrary.   

American law is our law.  Governor Murphy can no more ignore American law than Governor Wallace of Alabama once tried to do.  We are one country, one people, not a multi-state league of nations.

We are also working to pass the Human Trafficking and Child Exploitation Prevention Act, which despite having strong bi-partisan support, is being prevented from moving forward by the singular efforts of the staff of the Democrat Majority Leader in the Senate – Senator Loretta Weinberg.  That is correct.  Her staff is anti-woman and anti-child.  While she attempts to associate herself with the #MeToo movement, her staff is blocking legislation that would break the infrastructure through which young women and children are lured, raped, and sold into prostitution and the illegal porn trade.

So now it is up to YOU…

Now it is up to YOU…

Will you help?   

Or will you sit on your hands, complain, and do nothing?

Click here to start a petition in your county. 

Click here to start a group to circulate a petition in your county. 

Click here to sign a petition for your county.

To find out more about the Human Trafficking and Child Exploitation Prevention Act, click here.

To find out what you can do to combat the scourge of modern slavery, human trafficking and the sexual exploitation of women and children, click here.

Don’t they teach about the Scottsboro Boys case?

Is Jeff Van Drew a racist?  Does he not understand that every lynching in America involving a white woman started with an unquestioning belief in the accuser or, if he prefers, the “survivor”.   There was a lot of “solidarity” going around then.

Are these two young women so much different from the two who, in 1931, accused nine Black men of raping them?  They too were absolutely certain.

The case was investigated and brought to trial.  Based simply on the testimony of the women, all but one of the accused was convicted of rape and sentenced to death.  The last was spared simply because of his age (he was 12).  Medical evidence suggested that the nine had not raped the women, but that was dismissed in light of their testimony, which was considered very credible.

The case was appealed to the state Supreme Court, which affirmed seven of the eight convictions (in the eighth case, granting a 13 year-old a new trial).  The dissenting judge questioned the impartiality of the process.  The case was appealed to the United States Supreme Court, which ordered a new trial and led to a landmark decision on the conduct of trials.

The case was returned for trial to a lower court, with a change of venue.  During the retrials, one of the alleged victims (who would today be called a “survivor”) admitted to fabricating the rape story and testified that none of the accused touched either woman.  The other woman continued to claim that she was 100% absolutely certain that she had been raped by the men. 

At the new trial, the jury found that second woman to be a compelling witness and adopting the motto “believe women” they found the Black men guilty of rape once again.  Fortunately, the trial judge set aside that verdict and ordered yet another trial.  After a public outcry, that judge was replaced by another judge who tended to be more favorable to the prosecution.  For a third time, the jury believed the now lone “survivor” – adopting the iron-clad assertion to “believe women” – and returned a guilty verdict against the Black men.

The case was sent back to the United States Supreme Court on appeal and the Court again ordered retrials.  The state finally dropped charges against four of the nine accused.  Sentences for those remaining ranged from 75 years imprisonment to death.  All but two served prison sentences.  One was shot while being escorted to prison by a Sheriff’s deputy.  Two escaped, were captured, and then sent back to prison.  Clarence Norris, the oldest of the accused (and the only one sentenced to death in the final trial) jumped parole in 1946 and went into hiding.  He was found in 1976 and given a pardon by the Governor.  At that point the case had been thoroughly examined and shown to be a farce.

The last of those accused died in 1989.  On November 21, 2013, after an exhaustive review process, the state parole board formally cleared their names.  They were innocent, but had spent their lives under the shadow of a gross accusation.

What this sad lesson in our history should teach us is that an unproven accusation should not be treated as “fact” and that an accusation alone should not be the basis of a criminal conviction.  It should also teach us that blanket assertions about truth or guilt based upon gender or race (or anything else), are the beginnings of a lynch mob and should be avoided.

Do you get that, Senator Van Drew?  Or are you down with a fashionable lynch mob?