Granted there are many who greatly contribute to our republic BUT that is VERY overshadowed by the great many more who do and have done damage to that same republic. The ones that have contributed could have immigrated into the country at a later time if they wished.
One of the sadder failures to keep promises was the 40 acres and a mule. I never quite understood what went wrong there. Too little resources? Political backlash? America might have gotten a very robust, and God fearing, society of “black rednecks” had it followed through with that one.
That said, we cannot go back to the past. We have to look to the future, and it has to have evangelism in it if we want the results to be godly.