Quote Originally Posted by rvg View Post
You're talking about the man who signed the Northwest Ordinance that banned slavery anywhere it could. It laid the groundwork for keeping slavery in check. Washington couldn't ban slavery everywhere as it would tear the country apart (as it eventually did anyway), but he did his part in limiting slavery.
And yet he helped France try to put down it's own slave rebellion, does this mean Washignton is like Dr Evil or a dealer in realpolitik effectively a flawed hero who eventually saw the light.

As I said in my earlier post his view on slavery evolved over time which is why he should be remembered in a good light, and definately better than many of his founding contemporaries.