As a guideline, I'll give you a great example:  For all of the furor over the Emancipation Proclamation, it is often forgotten that slavery was not abolished in the United States of America (LAND OF THE FREE AND HOME OF THE BRAVE) until AFTER the uncivil Civil War.  In fact, President Abraham Lincoln, himself, often drove by the U.S. Capitol Building, which was still under construction during the war, and saw the lash being applied to the backs of slaves as they worked on the project.  What few people realize today is that Union-owned slaves were used, throughout the war, to continue work on the Capitol Building.  Is THIS the greatest example of hypocrisy known to the human race?
200593
Hypocrisy comes from the ancient art of acting.  Actors would wear masks to become the character they were supposed to be portraying -they were called hypocrites.  Anyone (everyone) today wears a mask at one point or another ("...here comes Mary. Pretend you like her."  "Good morning officer, what seems to be the problem?")  The great examples of hypocrisy you seek are all around you - and the greatest are those who claim that they are not practitioners of the art.
637476
No, I own my own business and am obviously older than you.\n\nFirst, study your history.\nBlack slaves were more physically capable than whites or Indians and quickly replaced both in agriculture which demanded hard, manual labor under bad conditions. No other group as a race was as strong and productive. Without them, the South would not have benefitted from a strong cotton and sugar industry. The North that bought these products and processed them would not have been as productive either. It was only when the south threatened to go directly to Europe where prices were cheaper than the more expensive North that the slavery issue became a galvenizing force for the North to attack the more rural and agricultural south. There were still slaves in the North during this conflict so it was not just riteous indignation that spawned the liberation of the blacks.\n\nAfter the war, many blacks continued to work on the farms where they had worked their whole lives. Life was much more difficult then and it has only been in the last 100 years or so that most of our population lives in cities.\n\nAfter the war, it took all of us time to heal. Blacks, Southerners, Northerners, etc. Blacks still helped rebuild the South after the war.\n\nNow, we have a huge population that lives in cities. As a whole, I cannot definitively say that blacks are equal to the other races in productivity. Many of their decendents were brought here for their physical attributes and they have been surpressed after the war as well.\n\nI think that we are now at a cross roads. Blacks, as a race, probably have more rights than whites but have not been allowed to complete a transition that can take decades.\n\nI think most people would appreciate it if you would learn more about history and not feel so cormfortable sitting at your computer and spreading racism. You are being more lazy and hateful than those you attack.\n\nUndoubtedly, your stupid comments have hurt and alienated a good many people of all nationalities. So start using Yahoo for something productive because right now, I think America's economy would be much better off without people like you, no matter what race you are!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
304146
Lincoln and the Republicans, a new political party at that time, opposed the spread of slavery to the Northwest Territories.  He outlined his reasons for opposition and the arguments put forward from the other side; then asked that opposing ideas be discussed civilly.
511022
I know you will not believe this but there has been a holocaust in this country (I mean other then what we did to the native Americans) take a look at Johnson s Island (northern Ohio); Camp Douglas (Chicago); and Elmira (New York). \n\nThe official U.S. position on the treatment of Confederate prisoners of war during The War for Southern Independence would shock many modern Americans.  The data, facts and statistics have been thoroughly eliminated from American history books.  One must research the original documents to discover the horrible truth.\n\nDuring the Civil War (1861-1865), the U.S. House of Representatives passed the following resolution: "Rebel prisoners in our hands are to be subjected to a treatment finding its parallels only in the conduct of savage tribes and resulting in the death of multitudes by the slow but designed process of starvation and by mortal diseases occasioned by insufficient and unhealthy food and wanton exposure of their persons."\n\nOne Yankee prison commander boasted that he had killed more Confederate soldiers than any Union officer on the front battle lines.\n\nThe story of Confederate prison camps, especially Andersonville, has been misrepresented.  There was no deliberate attempt to mistreat northern POWs.  The South asked the North to send doctors and medicine, and they tried to exchange the prisoners. \n\nThe North refused and finally the Confederacy offered the North cotton and gold as payment to take the men without exchange.  Again, the North refused to do so.  They knew the Confederate States of America would be honor bound to try to feed and house the Union POWs and to do so would hamper the Confederate war effort.  Yankee prisioners got the same rations as our boys, and one of the responders was correct Wirtz was the only person hung for war crimes and that was for Andersonville.\n\nThe yankees sold our blankets and uniforms as souvenirs, charged civilians a nickel to view a “Confederate” at Camp Douglas they stood us outside until we froze to death, we would raise vegetables only to have the yankees take and sell them.\n\nUntil the German Death Camps in the 1940s nothing would remotely compare, something else, yankees should be proud.\n\nMedicine was not as we know today but it was not lie pictured in the movies.  They knew little about germs but practiced reasonable sanitation in fact, there were groups dedicated it just that.  The biggest problems were infection and medicines they used mercury for many cures, which of course kills you.  For instance once a soldier got to the actually hospital they had over a 90% survival rate.  If you look at picture of casualties, their pockets are inside out and many erroneously think people were stealing from them and left their pockets inside out.  Most had nothing or very little to steal what it was the wounded were searching to find where they were wounded.  Look at a Minnie ball and imagine that hitting you.  It is so heavy it does a lot of damage you would off your feet in unimaginable pain and you looked to see where you were hit in the arm, stomach, etc.\n\nAncient Egyptians were doing brain surgery thousands of years ago, most people feel their era is superior and these who came before were dumb.  You can surprise your classmates by telling them there are still sons and daughters of Civil War veterans (especially Confederate) who are still alive.   \n\nLife in general was harsh compared to the way we live but at the same time they had time for leisure things, enjoyed art, music, fashion, riding and everything just about that we do.  Yankees had it better than we did when it comes to disease; like visitors to remote tribes in South America and Africa they have carries diseases in that have killed the whole population,  Yankees usually lives in populated areas and had been exposed and developed immunity to some of the diseases while we dies.  Make no mistakes mumps, Smallpox, bad water and dysentery killed more boys on b
640184
Didn't they used to hang repuglicans for wanting to free the slaves. Maybe it goes back to then. They are sure a long way from that party that was formed in Jackson Mi. and had its first convention in Chicago. I think it has been taken over by people that would prefer to own a few, the do the next best thing and hire illegals at substandard wage an benefits.
454216
It's not acceptable, and every African/Asian/Native/Latin/Arabic-American knows it. The notion that anyone else is responsible for what their grand-pappy did is asinine. Slavery is gone; it's not a personal problem for anybody. However, racism is not gone, and it is a real problem. HOWEVER, minorities perpetuate it just as much as they suffer from it.
218778
Actually, Lincoln said while he felt whites were superior to blacks (this sounds awful now, but remember that even as late as Harry Truman this was considered a legitimate statement), this did not give any justification for blacks to be slaves to whites. He said there was no justification to keep a black man from enjoying the fruits of his own labor. Further, he felt that black slavery was a burden that stifled free labor, which led into one of his more famous sayings was that "A house divided cannot long stand," meaning that the two separate systems could not be at peace because slave labor was a constant threat to free labor, just as we are seeing today when jobs that used to be done by Americans are now being done by Chinese political prisoners, or how employers here are luring illegal workers because they will then be at the mercy of whatever the employer wants to pay.\n\nAt his inauguration, Lincoln had said that he wanted the end of slavery, but that he wanted to preserve the Union even more. "If I could save the Union by freeing all of the slaves, I would. If I could save the Union by freeing none of the slaves, I would do that."\n\nThe Emancipation was certainly a generous act, and took a great deal of courage, but it was also politically calculated. He had intended to issue it for a while, but waited for a fairly successful battle (Antietam) to announce it. Because of the growing intolerance of slavery in Europe, emancipation combined with a federal victory would make it impractical for England or France to lend material assistance to the Confederate cause.
85022
If there are any black people who actually suffered under slavery still out there and alive, yes. That would be fair. As for blacks alive today, no. They suffer no hardships due to slavery that ended over a century ago. and never forget, it wasn't a brave and Nobel "slave revolt" that ended slavery, it was thousands of White men who died to enforce the emancipation proclamation. America already paid the price, in blood.
424168
I agree but I doubt that many of out countries leaders would today. Indeed, there seems to be many who actively seek to disenfranchise those who disagree by stating that people who disagree with a politician aid the enemy by their dissent. It seems abhorrent to believe I have to follow the illogical statements of such leaders today or be considered anti-American and serves to drive a wedge in society if you are not the right religion, the right color, have the right beliefs, or have to support a cause you disagree with. I think Thomas Jefferson was right, and is perhaps still right, but you will be disenfranchised and risk being accused of being anti-American today if you do not choose blindly to follow.
330918
There were white slaves too no one ever mentions them and the freed black people had slaves too. If you show me someone who was an actual slave not just a decedent of one yes..my ancestors were slaves too and the people that want \nreparations are just to lazy to get jobs in my mind.\n\nhttp://www.revisionisthistory.org/forgottenslaves.html
11236
Slavery does not legally exist in the United States.  The 13th Amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified 6 December 1865.  It expressly outlaws slavery as well as involuntary servitude except as punishment for a crime.\n\nNothing else has to be done to continue this “Constitutional” mandate.\n\nThis does not apply to the rest of the world.  There yet remain vestiges of slavery in various parts of the world and certainly there exist forms of involuntary servitude.\n\nRandy
451590
The idea that slavery was bad was invented by americans.  Up until that point, the opinion of the entire world was that slavery was OK because blacks were not human.  At the time, the idea that blacks were human and should not be slaves was extremely radical.  Most people saw it as a lowering of the dignity of the human race.  You weren't recognizing that slaves were on the same level, nor even elevating them to that level.  You were degrading humanity to the level of the slave.  That idea was violently resisted and took generations to become fully accepted.\n\nBut the idea started here.
503442
The big lie continues.  We still can't get anyone to agree if torture is unAmerican.  It typifies our times when people like this just get shouted down, protests are not known to have happened, and 600,000 dead Iraqis is not genocide.  In ancient China a story read "a poor man will hang for stealing a loaf of bread, but when you steal the country, you are declared "Statesman of the Year."  It is hard to choose, it has taken courage for them both to speak out.  Good question.
130917
Actually most slaves were sold to the hispanic population of the Americas, but its simple. If a black man was to admit that blacks had as much in the creation of black slavery in the Americas, then it would take away a great deal of the social power he has. Personally I never owned a slave, oppressed or hindered a black person in any way. so if a black person wants to point the finger at me for anything, they can go fuck them selves, because they won't get any sympathy from me for what happened long before either of us was born. In truth poor African Americans have more opportunity for advancement in this country then poor whites. there is a higher percentage per capita of whites below the poverty level then blacks, and the same for those who are middle class.
614281
Yes. the thought of one person 'owning' another is nauseating. Even though we have far to go with equality, the abolition of slavery in the US was well worth it!!\n\nThank You Pres Lincoln!!!!
464475
I can certainly see from the answers you've gotten not many people know the history of our great nation,that is most unfortunate.\nThe South did not break away from the union based on slavery it was a greater issue one of economics one that had to do with 'states rights' and with how much tariffs they could charge.\nIt all really began to boil over in the Kansas debates of 1848,and spread even into N.Y. \nRead crack a book some of you folks sometime read the 'war of the republic' 50 volume set written/published by the United States war Dept. just after the war.\nThe Northern States also had slavery before during and even after  Lincoln's Emancipation proclamation.\nIn fact the Northern rich states and the U.S. Flag flew over more slavery than the the Confederate 'battle flag',and certainly more so than the poor mostly ag Southern states could ever dream of having.\nThe South won virtually every major,and minor battle-the South chose to up until the end remain in the South however the North was starving the South,and it had to go north which was the demise of the The Army of Virginia.
474420
“Who Freed the Slaves?,” thought-provoking article written by James M. McPherson, asks who or what was responsible for freeing slaves in the United States. Was it Lincoln as most people presume or the slaves themselves?  McPherson explores many theories in this article, including ____________ , _____ and ________. For each theory he observes, probes and calls into question their stability from all points of view.\n\nI would summarize his theories in the blanks above, the way you had it listed before didn't make any sense.\n\nWhat was the assignment, just to summarize what the article discussed? Was there a conclusion in the article? If so, you should discuss the conclusion.