The common depiction of the U.S. as a nation brimming with slaveholders is a myth.

Here's an astonishing fact from the 1860 Census: only 1.4% of free people in the U.S. owned slaves in 1860. The VAST MAJORITY, ~98.6% of free people, did NOT own slaves. The common depiction of the U.S. as a nation brimming with slaveholders is a myth.https://t.co/uJbz5zwpzP

— Mark Mendlovitz (@MendlovitzMark) July 6, 2019