Just got done watching the "John Adams" mini-series.... and one image is VERY striking...

[scheming daemons]

In 1800, when John and Abigail Adams were becoming the first to live in the newly-built White House, all of the construction work was being done by slaves.


208 years later, the wife and children of the President - all three descendants of slaves - will be living in the place.


I'm a white 41-year-old man.... and that had a POWERFUL emotional affect on me.

[Chichiri]

1. I remember the slaves, but I also remember . . .

. . . that Washington City was built over a swamp.

Hopefully with President Obama we can finish the cleanup job that they presumably started in Adams' time.

[DontTreadOnMe]

2. I am a white male, 46 years old.

When Obama becomes President of the United States, it WILL BE the biggest political turning point in my lifetime.

[daninthemoon]

8. me too! 46white male, and biggest political event

[EC]

3. I know I keep thinking of that scene when Abigale says

that the nation's first house being built by slaves would come to no good...

[Larkspur]

4. Obama's father was not a descendent of American slaves

Obama's father was born in Kenya, a descendent of free men.

[tabatha]

5. The poster said wife and children of the president.

[scheming daemons]

6. Reading comprehension is your friend

Michelle, Malia, and Sasha *ALL* are descendants of slaves.


I *SPECIFICALLY* only mentioned the three of them.



*READ*.

[RollWithIt]

7. Obama is NOT descended from slaves, his father was a free African...

And his father had no past family history of slavery. Michelle I cannot comment on as I don't know the full family history.

[scheming daemons]

9. Learn to read... I SPECIFICALLY only mentioned Michelle and the kids

All of which ARE descendants of slaves.

[Larkspur]

12. Obama is not President yet

but if you are assuming he will be after Nov. 4, then I agree with you and I misread your post.

[scheming daemons]

13. Hence why I used the words "will be"... . Future tense.

[arewenotdemo]

26. bad daemons!

Exhibiting willful precision in your choice of terms.

:spank:

[RetroLounge]

10. Read it again

"the wife and children of the President - all three descendants of slaves "

RL

[kay1864]

11. Actually it can be read both ways

i.e., the modifier "all" used with "three" can be collective, to mean:
1. wife
2. children
3. President

So I can see where some might interpret it so.

[texastoast]

17. Oh, no

Check out that dash. It specifically refers to the wife and children.

God, I'm so glad we are arguing about sentence structure and not Obama versus Hillary. It's a good day. :7

[Samantha]

22. I think you are correct

Looking at the simple sentence, "wife" and "children" compose the compound subject, with the nonrestrictive phrase that follows containing "all three" referring to one wife and two children. "Of the President" is a prepositional phrase that modifies the compound subject.

[sohndrsmith]

14. darn I wanted to see that... was it on The History Channel? n/t

[scheming daemons]

15. I rented it

[SoonerPride]

16. HBO

And it was really good.

The scenes where they move into a partially finished, isolated, empty, smoke filled cavern of a house, built by and surrounded by slaves was shocking, disturbing and powerful stuff.

Abigail was appalled.
John was despondent.

It was gripping drama.

[sohndrsmith]

24. Ah. That explains it. I don't have HBO. I'm going to rent it.

[Jennicut]

18. This is going to be a very emotional election for a lot of people

Our country has a tragic past but I hope if Obama gets elected (and I think he will) that it might heal some wounds of the past. I know there are crazies and racists out there but look at how many other unlikely Obama voters there are out there. Jewish Grandmas in FL for example, or Southern good old boys or former Republicans.

[JBoris]

19. When Obama was born, interracial relationships were still illegal in some states

Obama's parents could have been arrested, maybe worse, just for conceiving a future President!

[midnight armadillo]

20. My favorite scene

was that of the Continental Congress after the Battle of Concord in MA. The attitudes of the southern leaders, which was basically "Those damn Massholes are fucking up everything!" was quite amusing.

In fact, in a week or two I'm going to bike Battle Road to enjoy the foliage and history.

[Window]

21. Yes. That is deep.

[pansypoo53219]

23. my history repeat are all mixed up.

had iran contra-watergate sorta. the 2000 election-rutherfraud b hayes, 9/11-pearl harbor, IWaq-vietnam with sand, enron-teapot dome? oh, and shades of mcCarthyism.

i'm finally glad i get obama-FDR/Lincoln.

[Clio the Leo]

25. How beautiful would it be.....

... for Barack to be escorted through the Capitol by the Congressional Black Caucus on his way to be sworn in on 1/20.

He'd never do it and I can understand why, but think of what an amazing image that would be.

I love the man to pieces and don't usually question the way he operates but I just wish ONE time he'd openly celebrate the history that may be about to happen. Again, I know he's not trying to present himself as the "Great Black Hope," and I understand that would cause more harm than good but yeah ...... that would be amazing.

Either way, I'm sure I'll cry all day long (tears of joy of course.)