Most of us would readily recognize , slavery is bad. Ok but why would we get upset about a remote ancestor having slaves ? Frankly what’s that to do with you unless you’re embracing the concept of hereditary guilt , which is a destructive and irrational concept.Being personally embarrassed by the conduct of people who died long before you were born, makes no sense!
I look like a 'white guy' but my GG grandfather was black from Barbados and came to Canada from a slave plantation in 1837. He was 1/2 and 1/2 the child of a slave owner and a slave. This was pretty common. Sonny was shocked but should not have been.
So true - And there's really a lot about slavery most who've gone through government schools especially won't realize, including the fact that even the slaves brought over from Africa had a lot to do with African kings/political selling slaves to European traders. When I was in grade school, they made it sound like Europeans simply invaded Africa, rounded up local populations, and sent them to the Americas and throughout the Western world.
One excellent source who is my go-to on this subject is Lipton Matthews, who often has his content in this niche published over at the Mises Institute.
Further, just because one may find out their ancestor was a slave owner, it doesn't mean they should think any less of their lineage. If the descendent, or in this case, Sonny Hostin, looks at themselves as a good individual who recognizes the inherent evils of slavery, that should account for a lot.
It's one reason why I'll never judge people for what their family may have done. Look at them as individuals first, and it will tell you a lot about who they are as opposed to looking at them from a collective standpoint, such as what their family, immediate or extended, is like.
All civilizations and races have participated in slavery, obviously including Great Britain and America, but only the latter two spilled blood and treasure to end it.
I don't think your lauding of GB and US in the usual way is in any way valid. If the US spilled blood in a Civil War it was about way more than slavery and if you look into the history of other countries who took no part in the Atlantic Slave Trade many of them had abolished slavery in their own countries long before. Japan for instance abolished slavery in 1590.
Most of us would readily recognize , slavery is bad. Ok but why would we get upset about a remote ancestor having slaves ? Frankly what’s that to do with you unless you’re embracing the concept of hereditary guilt , which is a destructive and irrational concept.Being personally embarrassed by the conduct of people who died long before you were born, makes no sense!
I look like a 'white guy' but my GG grandfather was black from Barbados and came to Canada from a slave plantation in 1837. He was 1/2 and 1/2 the child of a slave owner and a slave. This was pretty common. Sonny was shocked but should not have been.
So true - And there's really a lot about slavery most who've gone through government schools especially won't realize, including the fact that even the slaves brought over from Africa had a lot to do with African kings/political selling slaves to European traders. When I was in grade school, they made it sound like Europeans simply invaded Africa, rounded up local populations, and sent them to the Americas and throughout the Western world.
One excellent source who is my go-to on this subject is Lipton Matthews, who often has his content in this niche published over at the Mises Institute.
Further, just because one may find out their ancestor was a slave owner, it doesn't mean they should think any less of their lineage. If the descendent, or in this case, Sonny Hostin, looks at themselves as a good individual who recognizes the inherent evils of slavery, that should account for a lot.
It's one reason why I'll never judge people for what their family may have done. Look at them as individuals first, and it will tell you a lot about who they are as opposed to looking at them from a collective standpoint, such as what their family, immediate or extended, is like.
All civilizations and races have participated in slavery, obviously including Great Britain and America, but only the latter two spilled blood and treasure to end it.
I don't think your lauding of GB and US in the usual way is in any way valid. If the US spilled blood in a Civil War it was about way more than slavery and if you look into the history of other countries who took no part in the Atlantic Slave Trade many of them had abolished slavery in their own countries long before. Japan for instance abolished slavery in 1590.