When the nation's first president died in 1799, George Washington owned more than 300 human beings that he consciously chose to enslave.
I realize that this was a different time in the United States. I also fully understand that even during this period, there were people who knew Washington's actions were barbaric, despicable and evil.
That thought alone distracts me for a minute.
So upon reading about a hidden underground passageway in Washington's presidential home, used so guests would not see the people he enslaved as they slipped in and out of the main house, I find myself really pissed off.
Recently unearthed by archaeologists, the both disturbing and fascinating passageway used by nine black people (I'm not labeling them slaves by choice) is raising questions about whether the ruins should be incorporated into a new exhibit at the site.
Just steps from the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall, Washington lived and conducted presidential business at the house in the 1790s, when Philadelphia was the nation's capital.
Thousands of visitors have been drawn to the ruins, standing on a small wooden platform to gaze down at the house's brick and stone foundation.The public response spurred officials to continue the excavation until at least July 4; it began in March and had been scheduled to end last month.
Before the ruins were unearthed, officials had planned an exhibit without archaeological findings. The planned design included a framework of the house, LED screens and other audiovisual elements explaining its history, including stories of Washington's slaves.
"As you enter the heaven of liberty, you literally have to cross the hell of slavery," said Michael Coard, a Philadelphia attorney who leads a group that worked to have slavery recognized at the site. "That's the contrast, that's the contradiction, that's the hypocrisy. But that's also the truth."
Most of the Black people Washington owned lived at his Mount Vernon estate in Virginia.In his will, moreover, Washington arranged for them to be freed AFTER the death of he and his wife. That was so kind of massa!
C'mon, here's a White man that school children of every color are brainwashed into believing deserves to be held in the most highest of esteem, yet he was treating possibly one of my direct ancestors like cattle.
Would Washington be celebrated if he were a known child molester or a serial murderer?
Probably not. But because slavery was accepted in some aristocratic circles, we discard his vile behavior and treat it like some minor character flaw.
So let's stop pretending America. Let's leave everything in place as it relates to this incredible finding, and deal with our countries glorious past. Warts and all!
MSNBC