The Legacy of Slavery

In a few weeks, Americans across the country will mark the nation’s 250 th birthday. A time of celebration, yes, but also a time to reflect on the founders’ contributions and how their work informs us today. To this end, AEI inaugurated the “We Hold These Truths: America at 250” initiative , with symposia and volumes of essays on important aspects of America’s revolutionary heritage. As part of this initiative, AEI is also releasing a new public opinion survey on how Americans view our history and what our nation stands for. This is the third in a series of five blog posts with highlights from the survey. See the full report here. At a speech in 1852 commemorating the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the abolitionist and former slave Frederick Douglass praised the Founders, saying “they were statesmen, patriots and heroes, and for the good they did, and the principles they contended for, I will unite with you to honor their memory.” Yet Douglass asked, “What have I, or those I represent, to do with your national independence? . . .   I am not included within the pale of this glorious anniversary.” Throughout AEI’s America at 250 survey, blacks and whites expressed different views about racial discrimination and the legacy of slavery. 74 percent of blacks and 61 percent of whites said it was very important for high school students to learn how slavery and racial discrimination shaped US history. 5 percent of both groups said it was not that important. In another question, 75 percent of blacks but 34 percent of whites said that not enough attention was being paid in public schools to the “harms done to African Americans in US history.” While majorities of both groups agreed that the Founders deserved respect for how they created and set up the United States, the margins differed considerably, with 61 percent of blacks and 89 percent of whites giving this response. In another question, around three-quarters of black and white people agreed that “in order to understand the Founding Fathers’ impact on American life today, we need to examine their tolerance of slavery alongside their many contributions,” although 43 percent of black respondents “strongly agree[d]” with this view compared to 29 percent of white respondents. 67 percent of blacks in the survey agreed that America could never overcome the legacy of slavery compared to 36 percent of whites. In another question, nearly half of black respondents (47 percent) compared to 82 percent of white respondents felt that progress had been made in addressing past wrongs such as slavery. See the full report here. The post The Legacy of Slavery appeared first on American Enterprise Institute - AEI .