Robert E Lee The Great Emancipator

[J. Beckert]

That's a very good point, Kate. What is often glossed over is the fact that a great many blacks were captured and sold as slaves by their own people. There's plenty of blame to go around with regard to the slavery issue, but for some folks, the fact is just distasteful that blacks may have actually had a hand in it, too.

To say the North was complicit and profitted from the slave trade, "but they stopped", still doesn't remove all blame.

It's a shame that personal views have tarnished a thread that started out bringing to light a little known fact about a great man. He not only freed his slaves on his own volition, but made sure they were educated a bit before he did. A rare feat, indeed.

If you like to bash your country, Change.org has a discussion board, I think