JDS, Legality is determined by time. In the case of the emancipation proclamation, time showed it was legal and necessary. We may seriously differ in what blemishes we share with children at what age. When I did the web site for Christopher Columbus for 1st graders, I wanted to give a sense that he'd done great harm to the Native Americans without taking about from his navigational feats. When I did the site for Pocahontas (with assistance from members of this list), I had to decide how much of the truth of the ill-treatment of the Indians by the colonist I should include when the students were just kindergartners. http://www.educationalsynthesis.org/famamer For history, we generally don't present too many of the blemishes in high school. College is a good time to learn about the nitties and gritties. That said, I am of the personal opinion that history is best learned by the maturing, the mature, and the sage. Anne At 07:48 PM 2/26/03 -0500, you wrote: >I didn't say that freedom for the slaves wasn't a meritorious act. It >clearly was so. > >Legal, is a different matter. > >I think that in teaching children on such matters you must objectively >present the entire picture with all the blemishes. The goal, after all, is >to make sure they are knowledgeable on our history so we aren't "doomed" to >see our mistakes repeated. > >JDS > >To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions >at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html Anne Pemberton [log in to unmask] http://www.erols.com/stevepem http://www.educationalsynthesis.org To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html