I liked it, but it was racist.

Yeah, I remember the Jeffersons. I believe George used to use the racist term Honkey, but you never heard anyone call George a *beep* or even a negro on the show.

"Plus, the Northern, white Federal government in the 19th century was stupid enough to support the institution of slavery in the first place. So of course the United States had to go through a four-year Civil War to remedy the problem."

I don't think you know your American history that well.

Slavery was prevalent in America as far back as the late 18th century. George Washington even had slaves (though he set them free).

It wasn't a North and South thing. For one thing, there were no Southern states outside of the Carolinas and Georgia, which didn't matter because the cultural differences weren't as great.

As time passed and the South grew, that's when the cultural differences began to appear. The North just woke up earlier and came out against slavery sooner because Northern society was just built differently. The South eventually came around (to a point).

Despite what popular culture tells you, the outset of the Civil War had little to do with slavery. It was about a country that was coming apart due to cultural differences (and not just due to slavery). It was about societal differences, not just one issue. The Civil War was all about keeping the Union together.

I'm not sure what the point of your little diatribe afterwards is.

I don't know I'm getting the idea that alot of people are saying slavery was more indentured servatude or not as bad as portrayed in this movie. Heck it was worse. Like people being kidnapped and brought here on boats. If you where chained to a couple of people who where sick and died they would heave all of you over board instead of taking the time to unlock you. People had eyes gouged out,ears cut off, feet cut off, and beaten within an inch of their life for trying to escape. Being a female meant systematic rape from whoever wanted you when ever they wanted you. And as far as the iincest thing... from what I heard it wasn't uncomon for families to marry distant cousins off in order to keep status, money, and power to themselves. It started in kingdoms wanting to keep power. I've heard it speculated taht it took severe birth defects in order to stop the practice.

I'm not a Southerner, but my primary focus as an undergraduate and now graduate history student has been Southern history. As for the whole slavery issue: It's not widely known that, while Southern nationalism, which had been percolating at least since the 1830s, started as a means to the end (preserving chattel slavery, certain patriarchal gender norms sometimes similar but still distinct from the North, generally upholding the much vaunted "Southern way of life") but ultimately became an end in itself. This is demonstrated that, far too late to be helpful, the Confederate government began offering enslaved men manumission in exchange for military service. There is basically a consensus now among Southern historians that, if it had prevailed, the Confederacy would have gradually abolished chattel slavery in order to further increase its manpower and, essentially, to save the Confederacy.

BTW, it's interesting, in light of some earlier posts, that the guy who played Mr. Bentley on "The Jeffersons" had a minor role in "Mandingo." Also, there actually was one episode where a Klansman addressed George as "boy." In the same episode, a Klansman and his son referred to Weezy and probably Florence by the n-word.