04-21-2016, 02:51 AM
Racer X wrote:
Native Americans had slaves too, and it was common in Africa for one tribe to help the slavers capture and haul off other tribes.
Running a huge plantation in America as he did really isn't the same sort of thing as your examples.
Jackson may have had some good stuff going for him, but his endorsement of slavery and the force-relocation of indigenous and sovereign people are things that we should never forget about him.
Slavery was the source of his wealth and his gift to his son. Its endurance in the New World and the regressive attitudes of many modern Americans are his legacy.
If you want to compare, do so with a peer. Similarly situated, Jefferson worked to ban the slave trade and emancipate slaves across the nation, freeing many of his slaves before his death. (Didn't take it all the way and free them all.)
It's a good thing that his image will remain on the bill. Because it raises the specter of heck of a lot of history that people forget too easily or never learn.