Well, slavery is an important part of the American story. As you can see, people still have strong feelings about it.
I wish that I could have participated more. But, there are times when I have to leave for a bit and do something that consumes almost all of my time and requires my complete concentration. Then, when we're done with that, I can reclaim my life and even post a bit again. And, as I get older, I need more and more free time.
So, let's do what we can to keep this thread alive. People shouldn't forget that there was a time in our country when people actually owned other people and that it was legal even after we presented the world with a declaration that all men "are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."
What can be more important than that?
People should also understand that slavery was ongoing in the Americas from the time of Christopher Colombus. It was a peculiar institution that wasn't begun by any "American". But Americans were the people who finally did put a stop to it (after 300! YEARS). It has only been a mere 150 yrs since emancipation. The dust still hasn't settled.
Slavery was very much ongoing at the same time this very young country was finding its legs. In the timeline, the ramping down of slavery pretty much fairly well coincided with the Declaration of Independence. As the individual sovereign states developed, certain ones made a point of directly confronting the peculiar institution. Philadelphia began immediate steps to eradicate it, while at the same time fully recognizing the laws of adjoining States. Article IV sec 3 (The Fugitive Slave Act) of the Constitution acknowledged that down the road there would be issues that would arise between states solely based on the peculiar practice. Other States took a different approach than Philadelphia. But, Slavery was definitely tangled up in the formative years of the red, white and blue. Lincoln had a full plate, he knew it and he rose to the occasion. Unfortunately, he was shot in the back of the head by a deranged coward ((whose name I don't mention) before he could finish his task. I don't understand how anyone could blame Lincoln for the aftermath that he was deprived from being involved in.