George and Martha Washington enslaved 300 people. Let's start with their names.

[Chili]

47. of those 300 slaves...

... some are in my family tree. My great-great grandmother married the son of a slave whipped by Robert E. Lee when he was recaptured after escaping. His family most likely was inherited by George Washington Parke Custis from Martha; that slave family (the Parks') became the responsibility of Robert E. Lee on GWPC's death (Lee married Custis' daughter). Lee fought the will that required the freedom of those slaves until he was forced to free them 5 years after GWPC's death. So I, in a way, take this topic personally.

Washington was definitely flawed, but he did leave in his will the requirement that all slaves be freed. Martha refused. He was our first president, and while he did own slaves, he was a great leader. I'd have a hard time approving of the destruction of memorials to Washington, Lincoln, even Jefferson. They were great men with the horrible moral incapacity to believe their own words and ideologies: that all men are created equal. I don't forgive them - I will never forgive them - and while they were great men of their time, they were not great men of moral integrity when it comes to slavery, as John Adams was. I think tearing their monuments down is going too far.

Now, when it comes to R.E. Lee and Martha Washington? Tear away.