There's this 'thing' connected to slavery that we cannot get away from even if we try. It is a stigma that won't go away and it's also historical fact. Even though it may be hurtful to some, the facts show that almost every race has had slaves at one time or another. Human bondage was treated as a commodity, not a personal belief. As wrong as we see it in our enlightened scope, it was a way of life for those who were part of it. Yes, the different Native American tribes held slaves and they weren't all from other tribes. Some were white, some Black. Then you have the Blacks who owned slaves. One would think this would have been something they would have avoided but they didn't. They are every bit as involved, part and parcel as the Blacks who sold the other Blacks into slavery in Africa. All of the Native American families I have researched in the South Alabama area and some of the Black Families I have helped research have turned out to be slave owners. They are listed by their value in dollars to the owner. When Meagan told Emmitt the other night that he was lke 81% (I think that was the percentage she used) and that is considered almost pure African American today because most of the lines have been intermixed over time.

Pam