In America, slavery is our despicable and horrific sin. But Republican states have introduced bills to limit how slavery is taught in schools. The flag of slavery, the Confederate flag, is still flown in much of our country. And the removal of memorials to soldiers who fought to defend slavery and destroy our nation causes division and sometimes violence.
The pattern of Republican leaders inflaming the debate over racial issues has played out in numerous ways.
Former President Donald Trump stirred several race-based controversies. They include a show of support for the white nationalists who, in 2017, marched in Charlottesville, Va., and for similar groups that stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
In July 2023, Florida’s Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis said that Blacks benefited from slavery because it taught useful skills. Furthermore, Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley’s failure to cite slavery as the cause of the Civil War shows the continuing power of America’s greatest sin.
But which side of the Civil War would Trump have supported? The track record of a former president facing accusations of attempting his own insurrection would seem to readily answer the question.
