Every social, political, legal and educational institution in history, even without expressly intending to, has favored, if not been completely controlled by, the dominant social group(s) of its day.  American institutions have been white for most of their history because until the last generation whites were anywhere from a very dominant (75%+) to a very comfortable (60+) majority.  It is the recent rather huge shifts in American demographics that are driving contemporary political actions and reactions.  Whites will soon be a minority.  Trying to judge actions of the 1860s by the standards, and social realities, of 2017 is a bit, well, futile.