Thursday 24 August 2017

Is It Correct To Change History,

and wipe people and images from our collective minds?


a difficult question as various flags and images have been removed in America, some in the dead of night to avoid public outrage, 

and the list grows longer, the latest statue to come under fire is of Dr J Marion Sims (1813–1883) he was arguably the most famous American surgeon of the 19th century and today he is generally acknowledged as the founder of modern surgical gynaecology, He developed a surgery to treat a tear women sometimes suffer after childbirth and founded the first hospital designed specifically for women in 1855, but he did some terrible experiments on his patients without using anaesthesia, “Memorializing of imperialist slaveholders, murderers and torturers like J. Marion Sims is white supremacy,” said Rossanna Mercedes, 27, a member of Black Youth Project 100, “We will no longer allow government institutions like the New York City Parks Department to passively allow symbols of oppression.” I guess the slave owning presidents of the USA will have their likenesses removed soon, consider this,

Of the first five presidents, four owned slaves.  All four of these owned slaves while they were president.
Of the next five presidents (#6-10), four owned slaves.  Only two of them owned slaves while they were president.
Of the next five presidents (#11-15), two owned slaves. Both of these two owned slaves while they were president.
Of the next three presidents (#16-18) two owned slaves. neither of them owned slaves while serving as president.
The last president to own slaves while in office was the twelfth president, Zachary Taylor (1849-1850).
The last president to own slaves at all was the eighteenth president, Ulysses S. Grant (1869-1877).
So twelve US presidents owned slaves and eight of them owned slaves while serving as president

here is the list, 

1. George Washington owned slaves while president.
2. John Adams did not own slaves.
3. Thomas Jefferson owned slaves while president.
4. James Madison owned slaves while president.
5. James Monroe owned slaves while president.
6. John Quincy Adams did not own slaves.
7. Andrew Jackson owned slaves while president.
8. Martin Van Buren owned slaves, but not while he was president.
9. William Henry Harrison owned slaves, but not while he was president.
10. John Tyler owned slaves while president.
11. James K. Polk owned slaves while president.
12. Zachary Taylor was the last president who owned slaves during his presidency..
13. Millard Fillmore did not own slaves.
14. Franklin Pierce did not own slaves.
15. James Buchanan did not own slaves, (although some may disagree).
16. Abraham Lincoln did not own slaves.
17. Andrew Johnson owned slaves, but not while he was president.
18. Ulysses S Grant owned slaves, but not while he was president.  He was the last president who did.

and that is the problem with rewriting a countries history, where do you stop? I am not saying that it is right or wrong, to change history, but it appears that night statue remover crews and stonemasons are going to have a few busy weeks.


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