Purge Founding Father names?

If the current trend continues, “Honors for racists being reconsidered” (July 6), one could logically conclude that we will need to change the name of Washington state and our nation’s capital. After all, George Washington was a slaveholder. Never mind that he was a skilled leader and deserves credit for two important start-ups in American history: the Continental Army and the American presidency.

Washington has a county named after Thomas Jefferson. Maybe we need to consider changing the name of this county as well. After all, Jefferson was a slaveholder. Never mind that he wrote the Declaration of Independence. Before we change the name of Jefferson County, let’s not forget that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech quotes Jefferson’s bold, ringing words: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal …”

Places named after James Madison should also be considered up for change. He, too, was a slaveholder. Never mind that Madison was the architect of the U.S. Constitution and the author of the Bill of Rights; the document that allows me to write this letter and guarantees your right to read the newspaper.

Christian Perreiah

Spokane