Tell the Whole Story About Slavery

The June 4 Times’ Column One headline, “A Hard Truth to Portray,” with reference to slavery, decries America’s shameful past.

Perhaps The Times has forgotten that as part of our history, a long and bloody civil war was waged partly to rid our country of slavery. Those were Americans who fought the war, under the leadership of another American, Abraham Lincoln.

I, for one, am proud of that period of our history and its outcome.

If The Times is so ashamed of our country, perhaps it could repair, with its editorial staff, to a country with attitudes more to its liking. Cuba or Venezuela come readily to mind; there the paper would find a government equally critical of America and its history, and no doubt would enjoy state support for its journalistic activities.

Stephen L. Wolfe

West Hills

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Slavery is “America’s shameful past”? How about, “the world’s shameful practice for thousands of years that still goes on today, but that survived less than 100 years in America because of the efforts of Christians, for which they should be credited and honored.”

Yes! The museum should portray the violence, degradation and brutality of slavery in early America, and also recognize it as an evil that was eliminated first in the British empire, then in America through the efforts of Christians led by the English abolitionist William Wilberforce, but that it still goes on today in other countries.

Don’t berate America! Berate the countries where slavery is still practiced today. Show some gratitude that it no longer exists here.

John Denney

Irvine