Amen, Ebbie! "genocide and slavery." were 'elements' which existed fairly widely in those times, and which, sadly, had de facto not de jure threads in various early American history.... as they did in many cultures.

It is terribly important not to 'paint with a broad brush' when trying to explain things about history...and almost every generalization requires 10 times as many qualifications and disclaimers in order to approach fairness. I'm sure Michael realizes that, but it is so easy avoid long, tedious screeds which few will read here.