I don't know about the first, but slavery in America was certainly a cult of ignorance (and huge profit) that Black folks weren't human beings deserving of dign

I don't know about the first, but slavery in America was certainly a cult of ignorance (and huge profit) that Black folks weren't human beings deserving of dignity and compassion. You missed the big one, though: personal gas-powered vehicles (over mass transit). They chose profit (and waste and pollution) over mass transit systems, and we are all (the entire world) paying the price for their selfish "business sensibilities".