One point everyone needs to keep in mind when looking at the topic of race and slavery in America.
At the time of the civil war and for decades after the “conventional wisdom” was that blacks were actually inferior. It wasn’t an affectation or political justification. Pretty much everyone “knew” it was true because that is what had been taught formally and informally for a century or more.
Even dedicated abolitionists shared this opinion, and the idea was entrenched at all levels of society, top to bottom, north to south, educated and illiterates. At the worst end of the spectrum were people who held the opinion that blacks were not even human, much less “equals”. And with few exceptions Americans “knew” that blacks were not really equals.
I offer this only to bring perspective to your considerations of our history. What we know today as being utterly abominable was not even on the table as an issue in those days. It is impossible to understand history if we insist on judging the actions of our ancestors by our current standards. We don’t have to like it, we don’t have to approve of it, but we must step into their shoes to understand it.
One point everyone needs to keep in mind when looking at the topic of race and slavery in America.
At the time of the civil war and for decades after the “conventional wisdom” was that blacks were actually inferior. It wasn’t an affectation or political justification. Pretty much everyone “knew” it was true because that is what had been taught formally and informally for a century or more.
Even dedicated abolitionists shared this opinion, and the idea was entrenched at all levels of society, top to bottom, north to south, educated and illiterates. At the worst end of the spectrum were people who held the opinion that blacks were not even human, much less “equals”. And with few exceptions Americans “knew” that blacks were not really equals.
I offer this only to bring perspective to your considerations of our history. What we know today as being utterly abominable was not even on the table as an issue in those days. It is impossible to understand history if we insist on judging the actions of our ancestors by our current standards. We don’t have to like it, we don’t have to approve of it, but we must step into their shoes to understand it.