Slavery and Founding Fathers....?

Question

Slavery existing in the USA. Some of the founding fathers owned slaves...(Jefferson/Washington...etc).......Since slavery was abolished and considered a bad thing, should the founding fathers still have the recognition as great men. We don't say Hitler was a great man and you don't see his face on German currency or hung up on the wall of every school and I don't think he has a monument....and there was a genocide here in America it was the Native American............what are your thoughts....

Answer 1

Germany today is not based on what hitler did. On the other hand America today IS based on what the forefathers did in forming this country. It is true the sad evil things that transpired while this country was in it's infancy, including the slavery issue and what happened with the natives. When you way the good against the bad then most certainly America is the BEST country in the world.

Answer 2

The founding fathers were conflicted over the issue of slavery. While most opposed it in principle and in privacy, practical concerns guided their actions. Washington would free his slaves upon the death of his wife so that she would not feel the financial hardship in her old age. Jefferson spent most of the post war years on the verge of bankruptcy. You must remember that it would've been impossible to form a country and survive the revolution and abolish slavery at the same time and so the founders left the problem to be solved at a time when the new country migh've been better able to deal with it. The fact that the civil war almost destroyed this country when it was much larger and stronger and at a time when a much smaller portion of the economy depended upon slavery is proof that the country never could've survived abolition in colonial times. We remember the founders as great men because of the personal dedication and sacrifice they showed in their commitment to this new nation. Because the principles they codified in the Constitution were unique and not only changed the world but also established a standard by which we judge ourselves our history and them. As a nation, we like the founders are flawed but our principles and those standards endure. By contrast, there was a philosophic unity between principle and action in Hitler's Germany. As he spake, so he acted. We can thank God Hitler's Germany died when he shot his own brains out.

Answer 3

This is a great question, I like the way you think. However, to be fair to the founding fathers we have to take their actions in perspective. At the time in question, it was very acceptable to own slaves. Slavery has been in existence long before the birth of Christ. The Romans owned slaves, so did the Egyptians and as far back as we can go in history there has been slaves of every color, creed and race. I agree with your genocide comment but remember this was more the actions of the early American British settlers than that of our founding fathers. The comparison you make with Hitler is not a fair one, Hitler and men who have committed his kind of sins against mankind has never been acceptable, in any period. There is two sides to greatness, you can be famous or infamous. Hitler was infamous.

Answer 4

I think the founding fathers were men of their times, especially Washington and Jefferson.They grew up in proper society, and thus, got their views from that arena.Even if they truly hated the existence of slavery, there livelihood depended on it, which is why Washington freed his slaves AFTER he died.However, it's ironically that Jefferson gets all this praise for being an intellectual when it was Washington who probably had a better feel for the situation.

Answer 5

It's an American way of life to hide certain characteristics about people that are looked at in our history as being so important. We don't want to look bad. It's that way with many people in our history. Look at someone like Babe Ruth. We see him as this great sports hero, but he was a drunk, egomaniac and (for lack of a better word) man-whore! Look at a high school or middle school history text book, it's all about the great things America did, and it's all about patriotism in one form or another. I didn't really learn that Jefferson had slaves, and was a racist until I got to college and the professors were allowed to say anything they wanted. I personally think that someone like Jefferson, especially, shouldn't be praised as much as he is in America. Some people say he was an advocate for freeing slaves, but if you read something like Notes on the State of Virginia, you see that he was a complete racist. He got one of his slaves pregnant, yet said that once the slaves were freed, they should be taken out of the country so that black men wouldn't mix with white women! Hero, huh? I don't think I would want to admit that he was a founding father!

Answer 6

i does not commonly take care of Bachmann yet technically she is sturdy approximately John Quincy Adams. John Quincy Adams became the guy who initially touted the theory that a president might desire to end slavery using government potential 15 years until now Lincoln did it. He could not do it himself simply by political rigidity and an very almost countless combat against corruption expenses.

Answer 7

the history of our country is very biased. it does not tell you exactly what happened. americans in slaved the africans and killed off the indians after we stole their land. and some how this is glorified in the history books. every person should know the true american history. then with this knowledge we can judge for our selves about the importance of the "founding fathers". (how can they find a land that was already inhabited?)
if this is truly a free land than we should speak the truth and let each american have the freedom to judge for them self!

Answer 8

We are a domineering brutal society that lets little stand in the way of our progress.... That's why we are number one!

Answer 9

History -right or wrong -is written by the winners.