I agree except for the common generalization that slaves were forbidden to learn to read and write. This was not the case everywhere, as many slaves stayed with their masters precisely because they offered a free education. Of course, they had a better chance of receiving that education if they were in the South, as the Northern slaveowners were particularly sensitive about their "help" learning how taxes work, etc. Naturally, there are many perspectives on this issue but my research puts the truth somewhere in the middle and leaning right.