I am actually a descendant of John C. Calhoun. Yes, my ancestors owned slaves. But those slaves were treated extremely well, and were in many cases considered part of the family. They were treated so well, that they stayed and continued on after slavery was ended as wage laborers.
Slave owners were very similar to pet owners today. Just as some pet owners horribly abuse their pets, some slave owners did the same. But for many slave owners their slaves were a beloved member of the family similar to how most pets are treated today.
I don’t mean to imply that slaves were pets, or to devalue human life. I am simply trying to state the facts that you no longer here anymore in this new “woke” world.
I’ve never seen a farmer destroy his tractor just because...
“They were treated so well, that they stayed and continued on after slavery was ended as wage laborers.”
Slaves were very expensive and unnecessary for most people in the South. Logically, to beat, starve and mistreat a slave one owned would be like a farmer trashing his $250,000 combine.
Just curious - so John C. would have been fine with it if - pre 1865 - his slaves just decided to walk away? If they were “part of the family” and “beloved members of the family” wouldn’t the right thing to do is to do nothing and let them walk away? I doubt that John C. would have been so enlightened.