Good points. And, we should not hold our historic leaders to our current
standards of morality. Theirs was a different time.

As a female, I do not condemn our founding fathers for considering their
wifes and daughters their personal property. Although, I find their concepts
regarding women quite discriminatory, I do not hold it against them.

I am happy I live in an age where men consider me their equal (most of the
time, anyway -- grin). When you consider the fact that women only earned the
right to vote in the US approximately 3 to 4 generations ago, the status of
women today is mind boggling.

I also do not condemn our early religious leaders for their animal
sacrificing.  Today, this act would be considered inhumane treatment of
animals. Then it was considered a religious tribute to God. Go figure.

And, therefore, I cannot condemn our fore fathers for owning slaves any more
than I condemn the tribes of Africa for capturing each other and placing
each other into slavery in Africa or trading each other to slave traders
bound for the Americas.

Humans are not perfect. We must study history, knowing that the past cannot
be changed, that immoral acts took place, and that injustices prevailed. And
we must strive to understand as much as we can about the past so that we
will not make the same mistakes over again.

We must also accept the fact that our history is a part of who we are now.
We are who we are because of what and who came before us. We may not be
responsible for what happened in the past, but we are products of our
history and our heritage.

Lonny J. Watro

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