5. Enslaved people were technically freed in 1862. We've learned that Columbus began enslaving people when he arrived in 1492. Why are the people who were enslaved during our nation's early history just as important to the American story line as people we typically study, such as Columbus and Thomas | Jefferson?

5. Enslaved people were technically freed in 1862. We've learned that Columbus began enslaving people when he arrived in 1492. Why are the people who were enslaved during our nation's early history just as important to the American story line as people we typically study, such as Columbus and Thomas | Jefferson?