When a white person in America addresses the issue of race, it is virtually certain they will be reminded of our country's history of racism. But while slavery certainly makes up a significant part of our history, it is my contention that the United States of America was ultimately the catalyst for the dismantling of slavery since its very inception, and that the charges levelled against her are revisionist and wrong.

You see, if prostitution is regarded, as it so often is, as the world's oldest profession, then slavery is easily the second. As we began life on this planet, wars and conquests led leaders to add vanquished foes to their workforce through slaver, and it wasn't long before the practice became vital to the economy. Virtually every culture has at one time or another held slaves. Slavery as it existed in the US was only unique in that it was so predominantly an issue of race (although not exclusive -- indentured servants were slaves every bit as much as any slave of African descent). Most slaveholders prior had taken slaves of captive cities and cultures, and the slaves were usually of similar ethnic descent.

The slaves that existed in colonial times were not "American" slaves...it is difficult to lay a charge for the purchase and possession of slaves on a nation that did not exist at the time. Many of those slaves assimilated into American households as the nation formed.

Our founding fathers considered the slavery question, and there was considerable debate on the topic. Certainly, they could have outlawed slavery in the Constitution but had they done so, they would have almost certainly alienated those states whose economy was so dependent on slavery in the toddler years of the Industrial Revolution. Had the country split, it's quite likely we would have found ourselves back under British rule before the 18th century's conclusion. The founding fathers' decision, while not necessarily right, was probably the only compromise that could be brought about to ensure the viability of our nation.

Almost before the ink had dried on our precious Constitution, critics of slavery were pointing out the inconsistencies. While we would continue to hold slaves for some time, the movement to eradicate slavery had already been set in motion, and it was a burning issue long before the Emancipation Proclamation. 1860 just happened to be the first time we could elect a president that would take a stand against slavery.

At worst, we as a nation are guilty of about 90 years of slavery, not the hundreds of years that "white guilt" would assign us. And even within the nation, the lion's share falls on certain states; many states did not practice slavery, and many states had activists who worked hard to help slaves. And the movement to help those slaves existed largely within various Christian denominations, most notably and universally the Quakers, who took significant risks in sheltering the runaway slaves.

Our history of slavery is not one of which we should be in any way proud. But it is one where the blame has been wrongly assigned, in many cases to people who worked to help bring an END to slavery. The honest men and women who worked so hard to make a wrong situation right do not deserve to be lumped with those who committed such a horrendous practice. The blame for slavery lies solely on those who committed it and/or allowed its practice, and not on the millions of innocents who did neither.