From: stewarts@ix.netcom.com (Bill Stewart)
Date: Mon, 17 Jul 95 23:51:46 PDT
To: mfroomki@umiami.ir.miami.edu
Subject: Re: Root Causes Roots
Message-ID: <199507180649.XAA25403@ix3.ix.netcom.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
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At 02:08 PM 7/17/95 -0400, Jim Ray wrote:
[ Crypto timeline and discussion omitted ]
>Careful thought reveals a atrong suspicion that the "3/5ths people" 
>[slaves] had more use for crypto at the time than free white males 
>did, but I doubt much, if any, evidence of that activity was 
>preserved, and I'm sure it was _forcefully_ discouraged if ever
>discovered...My point is, slaves, or those who live in fear of 
>eventual slavery, for whatever reason, have a strong affinity for 
>cryptography. Note, for example, early use [mentioned in the timeline
>above] by the Jewish people.

Or, more precisely, they have a strong affinity for private in-group
communications.
Cryptography's a bit tough in an environment where it was often illegal to
teach slaves to read.  On the other hand, oral cultures are often good at
using metaphor and in-jokes and shared knowledge to express things that
the speaker doesn't want the oppressive group to understand.  I've seen
commentaries
talking about that in North American black culture, and there are other examples
like Cockney rhyming slang.  And then, of course, there are totally
incomprehensible
communication systems like Gaelic :-), which the Brits tried hard to stamp out.
#                                Thanks;  Bill
# Bill Stewart, Freelance Information Architect, stewarts@ix.netcom.com