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I don't know that we need to interpret the GP's post as moralizing. You can also interpret it as a simple statement of fact: History is usually written by those

I don't know that we need to interpret the GP's post as moralizing. You can also interpret it as a simple statement of fact: History is usually written by those who were in power at the time, and that means that it doesn't typically include the opinions of those who weren't. The common meme that the vast majority of people in the antebellum south thought slavery was OK is a great example of this. It doesn't even pass the smell test unless you either don't have a good sense of just how many people were enslaved at that time and place, or you don't think slaves count as people. That isn't to say that the morals of the people dictating how society worked weren't different at the time, just that getting the phrasing right does matter.

LyndsySimon 8y ago
> The common meme that the vast majority of people in the antebellum south thought slavery was OK is a great example of this. Even that is a somewhat controversial statement - as the author mentioned, historians (or anyone who is interested in and studies history) are apt to bring in nuance. From my understanding from reading the correspondence and journals of people in that era, people in the antebellum South weren't "OK" with the institution of slavery to the same degree. Some thought it was wrong but the most practical option, some thought it was abhorrent, some had their opinions colored by their own fortunes being tied closely to it. Some where abject racists even by the standards of the time. It was a controversial and nuanced issue at the time... like every other political issue in the public arena.