I get that slavery was legal in the 18th Century. Newton did nothing illegal. Just like the Mullahs do nothing illegal when they order women stoned to death for adultery. It's the law. Killing Gypsies, Jews and gays during the Third Reich was also legal. I consider legality irrelevant. I'm talking moralty.

There WAS a widespread awareness during Newton's time that slavery was NOT ok. There were plenty of folks speaking out against it. It's not like I'm expecting Newton to have singularly spotted the issue and taken a solitary stand against what everyone else thought was ok.

It appears that I have more trouble than most posters here separating the writer from the music, especially when the writer was engaged in so odious a form of livelihood. I am also troubled by the fact that Newton wrote the song before he expressed remorse about slave trading.   Song 1772, regret around 1780. It sort of corrupts his message in my mind, that he apparently did not consider slave trading a contributing factor to his being a "wretch".