Current Events > Who is a better person, George Washington or Donald Trump

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I miss Obama

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George Washington is one of the greatest men that ever lived, practically everyone owned slaves back then, and yes I also mean the blacks who enslaved other blacks.

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George Washington was born into a slave holding society and came to believe that slavery was wrong. He persisted in that belief even after anti-slavery views started to wane in the United States. He also believed that blacks were not intellectually inferior to whites, but were being held back by slavery. How he handled freeing his slaves is certainly up for criticism, but the historical record is pretty clear that you cannot equate Washington with someone like, say, Andrew Jackson, who was unapologetic in the fact that he owned slaves.

We know what views Trump would hold on slavery if he were alive in that era.

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Shadowplay posted...

George Washington was born into a slave holding society and came to believe that slavery was wrong. He persisted in that belief even after anti-slavery views started to wane in the United States. He also believed that blacks were not intellectually inferior to whites, but were being held back by slavery. How he handled freeing his slaves is certainly up for criticism, but the historical record is pretty clear that you cannot equate Washington with someone like, say, Andrew Jackson, who was unapologetic in the fact that he owned slaves.

We know what views Trump would hold on slavery if he were alive in that era.

EDIT: And right after writing the above, I accidentally vote for Trump being the better person in the poll.

I thought he freed his slaves in his old age?

They're both pretty bad. Washington was not a great person, almost none of the Founders were. There were anti slavers among the founding fathers, but most weren't. So I'm done excusing them, there were anti slavers among them and Washington could have been one. For that reason, I'll probably say Washington, cause as much as I can speculate what Trump would have done were he alive in the time, all I can judge is what they have done. Washington did worse, he owned slaves when he didn't have to, and he had the power to sway public opinion on the subject and chose not to.

Ruvan22 posted...

I thought he freed his slaves in his old age?

Yes, but Washington has been criticized by some for not tackling the broader slavery issue when he had the chance. IIRC, Washington himself felt that the slavery issue was something that would have to be dealt with by a future generation, that trying to tackle it in the incipiency of the United States was too great a gamble and would result in the entire experiment crashing to pieces. (He may have had a point.) So basically Washington passed the buck, and Lincoln picked it up.

Ruvan22 posted...

I thought he freed his slaves in his old age?

My thing is, he was the most powerful man in the country. And I'm not even referring to his time as President, but in terms of influence, he was the most persuasive guy that could have pushed any movement he wanted, and changed the course of the nation. I mean, he did that a few times, but he didn't do it for this issue.

JimmyFraska posted...

They're both pretty bad. Washington was not a great person, almost none of the Founders were. There were anti slavers among the founding fathers, but most weren't. So I'm done excusing them, there were anti slavers among them and Washington could have been one. For that reason, I'll probably say Washington, cause as much as I can speculate what Trump would have done were he alive in the time, all I can judge is what they have done. Washington did worse, he owned slaves when he didn't have to, and he had the power to sway public opinion on the subject and chose not to.

FYI, TC, this guy didn't know that Washington was against slavery, so his views on this subject are likely to be suspect.

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reported for trolling

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Shadowplay posted...

FYI, TC, this guy didn't know that Washington was against slavery, so his views on this subject are likely to be suspect.

He had slaves, and only put in his will to free them upon his death. Better than nothing? Maybe. But I don't see any indication he was against the institution.

Machete posted...

reported for trolling

That's dumb

JimmyFraska posted...

That's dumb

"I'm user JimmyFraska and I am a massive fan of donald trump and support everything he does and is about"

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Machete posted...

"I'm user JimmyFraska and I am a massive fan of donald trump and support everything he does and is about"

Comment in this topic literally says opposite lol. But you know what, I like you talking for me better than me talking, can you just follow me around and do that?

Yeah I'm 1000% sure that if Trump were alive when slavery was legal in the same sense it was back at America's founding, he'd have most definitely owned slaves and have been pro-owning slaves in every meaning.

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Was Washington a deranged narcissist who only valued other people for how they could benefit him?

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JimmyFraska posted...

Comment in this topic literally says opposite lol. But you know what, I like you talking for me better than me talking, can you just follow me around and do that?

lol

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I don't believe a single thing the US has to say about the founding fathers

they were probably a bunch of haggard young rebel warlords fighting for power in a backwater country like Congo or something

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JimmyFraska posted...

I like you talking

no you don't

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