"Being a problem is a strange experience, " he wrote, "peculiar even, " no doubt evoking the "peculiar institution" of slavery.

NPR: Many Arab-Americans Still Perceived As A 'Problem'

It is the peculiar mechanics of that institution, designed for a different age, that leave us divided into red states, blue states and swing states.

WSJ: It's Time to Junk the Electoral College

Let's take the unasked for advice of those who have told us to forget about America's peculiar institution.

NPR: Living in the Present Means Taking Focus off Past