Thank you for that insightful comment. I hope my article didn't offend you in any way. This is a complex topic that I've been grappling with for years.

Yes, I've read some history that suggested that Lincoln wished to send slaves back to Africa. That makes absolutely no sense because by then they had all been born in the US (the slave trade had been eliminated since Jefferson). I've only read about the first half of Dubois' "Reconstruction" but I can't recall coming across that suggestion. But he could have said it elsewhere, I'll have to look into that.

Hemmings only had the right to petition for freedom in France, but she really didn't have the power to do so.

I agree there is a deeply rooted misconception that our country needs to change. Thanks for writing.