George Washington
During his presidency, George Washington seems to have concluded that slavery was absolutely incompatible with the principles of the new nation and could even cause its division. In August 1797 he wrote, “…I wish from my soul that the legislature of [Virginia] could see a policy of a gradual Abolition of Slavery…” Two years later, Washington revised his will, providing for his slaves to be freed after his death 122 of the 314 African Americans at Mount Vernon were freed; the others were Martha’s and by law owned by her heirs. He also left instructions for their care and education which included supporting the young until they came of age and paying pensions to the elderly.

THE OMITTED ANTI-SLAVERY CLAUSE TO THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION (1776)
Thomas Jefferson’s attitudes to blacks varied during his lifetime. In his early years, Jefferson thought blacks were biologically inferior, then decided that slavery had a destructive conditioning effect which stamped blacks with “odious peculiarities.” With this view, and spurred by his conviction that “natural rights” accrued to all men, Jefferson
penned a short, passionate attack on King George III’s indulgence of the slave traffic, for inclusion in the Declaration of Independence. But, at the behest of delegates from South Carolina and Georgia, and with the indulgence of northern delegates whose ports sheltered and profited from slave ships, the clause was omitted from the final version.

Abraham Lincoln
I will say then that I am not, nor have been in favor of bringing about in any way the social and political equality of the white and black races, [applause] –that I am not nor ever have been in favor of making voters or jurors of Negroes, nor of qualifying them to hold office, nor to intermarry with white people; and I will say in addition to this that there is a physical difference between the white and black races which I believe will for ever forbid the two races living together on terms of social and political equality. And inasmuch as they cannot so live, while they do remain together there must be the position of superior and inferior, and I as much as any other man am in favor of having the superior position assigned to the white race.

U. S. SUPREME COURT JUSTICE HARLEN ELOQUENT AND PROPHETIC DISSENT AGAINST THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE “SEPARATE BUT EQUAL” DOCTRINE IN “Plessy v. Ferguson” (1896)
“In the eyes of the law, there is in this country no superior, dominant, ruling class of citizen. There is no caste here. Our Constitution is color-blind, and neither knows nor tolerates classes among citizens…. In my opinion, the judgment this day rendered will, in time, prove to be quite as pernicious as the decision made by this tribunal in the Dred Scott Case.” The dissenting view of Justice Harlen, opposing the “separate but equal” constitutional justification of racial segregation became law in 1954, with the landmark decision handed down by the Warren Court.

CHIEF JUSTICE EARL WARREN
THE U.S. SUPREME COURT WAS RECEIVING PRESSURE NOT TO STRIKE DOWN SCHOOL DESEGREGATION IN THE CASE OF Brown v. Board of Education (1954). CHIEF JUSTICE EARL WARREN UNITED THE COURT AND STRUCK DOWN SCHOOL DESEGREGATION, AND CONCLUDED WITH THIS FORCEFUL STATEMENT:
“Segregation of white and colored children in public schools has a detrimental effect upon the colored children. The impact is greater when it has the sanction of the law; for the policy of separating the races is usually interpreted as denoting the inferiority affects the motivation of a child to learn. Segregation with the sanction of the law, therefore, has a tendency to retard the educational and mental development of negro children and to deprive them of some of the benefits they would receive in a racially integrated school system.

Author unknown
Dear Lord, help me to remember that You do not want me to grovel as though I were a slave. Since I am made in Your image, I must love myself as I love You. Amen

Ralph Waldo Emerson
“The glory of friendship is not the outstretched hand, not the kindly smile, not the joy of companionship; it is the spiritual inspiration that comes to one when he discovers that someone believes in him and is willing to trust him with his friendship.”

Author unknown
If we fill our hours with regrets over the failures of yesterday and with worries over the problems of tomorrow, we have no today in which to be thankful.

Author unknown
Anyone who expects everything to be letter-perfect never gets very far into the alphabet.