ABSTRACT
The most baffling, intractable problem in American history centers around one of humanity's oldest institutions: slavery. It occurred many centuries before the New World was discovered, and crossed the ocean shortly after the first European settlers arrived. A Dutch ship landed African slaves at Jamestown, Virginia, in 1619. Now, almost four centuries later, as we move into the twenty-first century, the issues of race, civil rights, and integration follow us every step of the way.
