To view Catton's portrayal of the "conflicting currents of history" represented by Grant's North and Lee's South through the lens of King's "I Have a Dream" speech, comb through "Grant and Lee " looking for some mention of African Americans and Native Americans, then respond to the following: a) Dr. King makes us aware of the promissory note written by the founding fathers which has been returned marked "insufficient funds." Would he find any trace of what this bounced check represented in Catton's essay?

b) If, as Catton claims, "no man was born to anything except a chance to prove how far he could rise," where did that leave men whose race and/or ethnicity was not of European colonial origin?

c) Did these men operate on a level playing field, or does Catton's formulation need to be qualified to say, "no man of European colonial origin was born to anything except a chance to prove how far he could rise, and others were born to serve"?

d) When Catton brings Grant and Lee together and compares the traditions which they represent in the essay side by side, what conclusion does he draw for the reader?

e) Explain how you think Dr. King would have would have viewed the terms of this comparison. Examine the assumptions on which these conclusions are based.

f) In light of King's promissory note returned marked insufficient funds, what does Catton's omission of enslaved African Americans in the South and Native Americans in the westward expansion reveal to you?