Many African
Americans believe that we are all descendants of slaves.
Is that a bias (an
inclination to present or hold a partial perspective at the expense of
(possibly equally valid) alternatives) or a speculation (the process of
thinking about possibilities, or a particular conclusion arrived at from such
thought). Both definitions come from Wikipedia.
In genealogy and
family history research, we like to think of ourselves as good thinkers and
detectives. Our analytical skills are definitely above average whether we went
to school for it or not.
"I don't
know" is not the end of the discussion, it is the beginning of the journey
for us genealogists and family historians. We will spend years searching and
re-searching until 'we do know'. It's what we do. When we are finished (if
that's ever possible), we want to present our findings to the world. And that's
when the spectre of the Genealogical Proof of Standards rears itself like a
three headed monster.
The BCG, or Board of
Certified Genealogists, has come up with the Genealogical Proof Standard (GPS).
The GPS consists of five elements:
- a reasonably exhaustive search;
- complete and accurate source citations;
- analysis and correlation of the collected information;
- resolution of any conflicting evidence; and
- a soundly reasoned, coherently written conclusion.
If you can do these
five steps you are good to go.
At any given time
during American Slavery, 10 percent of the African Ancestored people were 'Free
Persons of Color'.
