[Non-Sequitur]

He fought beside 3 of his brothers, and guess what, not a one of them owned a single slave.

One day I will encounter one of you southerners who will finally admit that they had a relative who actually owned a slave. One would think, judging from all the relatives mentioned on this forum, that slavery didn't exist and it was all a big mistake.

[Morgan's Raider]

. One would think, judging from all the relatives mentioned on this forum, that slavery didn't exist and it was all a big mistake.

Probably because most of the descendants of former slaveholders are democrats who wouldn't be caught dead at FR.

[DWSUWF]

"...One day I will encounter one of you southerners who will finally admit that they had a relative who actually owned a slave. One would think, judging from all the relatives mentioned on this forum, that slavery didn't exist and it was all a big mistake..."

How many people today drive a Hummer? How many own a Beech Twin? A 24 room townhouse?

Slaves were expensive to buy, and expensive to keep. And their manual labor produced only raw agricultural materials, not manufactured goods or high value commodities, like gold.

Slaves were a luxury item that provided (at best) a marginal rate of return on investment. They were less about 'making economic sense' than they were about 'displaying status'.

I've encountered only a handful of people who are aware of an ancestor's ownership of slaves. It simply wasn't that common.

[Protect the Bill of Rights]

I have never been ashamed to admit I had ancestors who owned slaves, as well as ancestors who were considered white trash. I am an extension of them. I am the sum total of all who have come before me. If I have learned from the mistakes of my ancestors, I have nothing to be ashamed of.

It doesn't matter what they did. What matters is what I give to my children to pass on to their children.

[Lancey Howard]

Do you know what the population of the Confederacy was circa 1850?
Do you know how many families were wealthy enough to own slaves?
Of those families, do you know how many had a need for slaves?
And of those families, do you know how many actually owned slaves?
And of those families that owned slaves, do you know how many of them mistreated their slaves?

The answer is...... 19.

[4CJ]

Heck, I never said they didn't, what I said was at the time of the CW they didn't. But it was also legal under the US Constitution. And yes, I can find ancestors that had slaves, but the few I can find were circa 1760 - 1820. The vast majority were farmers that employed their families or a hired hand. Slaves were way too expensive.

Most Northerners believe that all slaves were mistreated in the South. Propoganda & revisionist history. Why would the ex-slaves refuse to flee up north, and serve instead with their former owners? Why, when given the choice to leave, would the majority choose to sharecrop beside their former owner?

[billbears]

one of you southerners who will finally admit that they had a relative who actually owned a slave.

I'll admit it. I have ancestors that owned slaves. BTW, also know of more than a few blacks that owned slaves as well, especially in Charleston circa 1860, but that's neither here nor there.

Tell me, how many free blacks lived say in Illinois around that same time? or maybe Oregon?

Oh, that's right. Free blacks weren't even ALLOWED in those states. Have you found anything yet before late 1862(and I use that date because by then he had lost most support from northern voters and HAD to ask for abolitionist help) stating lincoln's total disgust with his home state's law instituted in 1853? Or Oregon's state constitution in 1859? Or the Connecticut laws? And you wonder why blacks, free or slave, were prevalent in the South? By many NORTHERN state laws, they weren't even allowed to live in the north!!

[sweetliberty]

The whole point is that a very, very small percentage of southerners EVER owned slaves. They were a luxury of the very wealthy, so it is very likely that none of the ancestors of those of us on this board owned slaves. I have researched my family history, and while I have found relatives from Kentucky who fought on both sides in the war, I have yet to find a single slave owner. If I did, I would not deny it. Our history, be it glorious or shameful, is part of who we are, and not liking it doesn't change it.

[dixiemelody]

Slavery did indeed exist. But it existed among the plantations...the rich Southerners. If you've visited the South, I think you can see that most of us don't come from the rich plantation families. Most of us are from good ole Hillbilly stock.