Myths tend to build up around historical events and people, and the Founding Fathers are no exception.
Ask a student to tell you what s/he knows about them. What will come up? Almost certainly you'll hear that they owned slaves, thereby deserving our contempt.
But that's inaccurate. Some definitely did, many did not, and it's a bit complicated with others. For instance: John Hancock lost his parents, then was brought up by an uncle, then he inherited the uncle's slaves, and then he set them free.
Here are more stories about the founders:
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