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 To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html