If Lincoln had not died

[BettyO]

Unfortunately, laws in Britain at the time required people of the Jewish faith to give up their religion in order to attend college - a horrid compensation just to achieve an education. Things were no better here in America as well - many of other faiths were also prosecuted, denied education and other basic necessities and there was even a political party, The Know Nothing party, which basically was out to annihilate persons who were NOT white, Anglo Saxon protestants! The Irish and Italians were treated horribly as well in this country. Chinese were basically put into separate spheres and treated as some sort of exotic creatures. We have come a long way, but discrimination still exists and in the 19th Century, it was unfortunately rampant, not only abroad - but in the "cradle of Democracy" as well.