POLITICUSUSA
Donald Trump thinks African Americans should learn U.S. history rather than campaign for the removal of Confederate monuments. The President has been vocal in his defense of statues depicting racist leaders.
Many Americans have been compelled by the recent mass protests to seek a fuller understanding of United States history and particularly the African American experience in that history, up to and including ongoing racism, discrimination, and violence against people of color. Black bookstores in particular are being flooded with orders for literary works that portray African American experiences, historical studies that chronicle U.S. history from an African American experience, and books that offer sociological analyses of race and racism in the U.S. Even Amazon Prime created a category featuring films and television shows about African American life, culture, and history.
“He told me a year and a half ago or so, a year ago, that, you know, he thought he could have done a deal to have averted the war.”
After being called out for his poor grasp of history, Trump just made matters much worse.
"People don't ask that question. But why was there a Civil War? Why could that one not have been worked out?"
Stewart says "Nothing is worse than a Yankee telling a Southerner that his monuments don't matter," but he's wrong. Defending them is worse
"Inspired by Trump, his former Virginia chair runs the 'most openly Confederate-friendly campaign in recent memory'"
"When is he [President Obama] going away? My goodness gracious. This is just unbelievable, but you know, he’s never gotten over his racism."
Apparently, if African-Americans had a Bible-based moral education, they wouldn't mind being gunned down by the police for no reason whatsoever
Jeff Cooper’s newsletter was unabashadly pro-black slavery but the NRA's Frank Winn says racial slurs are "erudite" and support for the institution of slavery "timely"
Denial of reality is alive and well in Republican ranks. We have already seen how right-wing talking heads exploded at Michelle Obama’s words about the White House being built by slaves:
“That is the story of this country. The story that has brought me to the stage tonight. The story of generations of people who felt the lash of bondage, the shame of servitude, the sting of segregation, who kept on striving, and hoping, and doing what needed to be done. So that today, I wake up every morning in a house that was built by slaves. And I watch my daughters — two beautiful intelligent black young women — play with the dog on the White House lawn.”
Bill O’Reilly said on The O’Reilly Factor Tuesday that Michelle Obama’s remarks about slaves building the white house were “positive,” but he couldn’t help but pull the old “slavery wasn’t so bad” thing, excusing slavery by saying the slaves were “well fed” and had “decent lodgings.”
Yeah. I’m sure they were all saying “Yippee!”
Watch courtesy of Media Matters for America:
Finally tonight, Factor Tip of The Day. As we mentioned, Talking Points Memo, Michelle Obama referenced slaves building the White House in referring to the evolution of America in a positive way. It was a positive comment. The history behind her remark is fascinating. George Washington selected the site in 1791, and as president laid the cornerstone in 1792. Washington was then running the country out of Philadelphia.
Slaves did participate in the construction of the White House. Records show about 400 payments made to slave masters between 1795 and 1801. In addition, free blacks, whites, and immigrants also worked on the massive building. There were no illegal immigrants at that time. If you could make it here, you could stay here.
In 1800, President John Adams took up residence in what was then called the Executive Mansion. It was only later on they named it the White House. But Adams was in there with Abigail, and they were still hammering nails, the construction was still going on.
Slaves that worked there were well-fed and had decent lodgings provided by the government, which stopped hiring slave labor in 1802. However, the feds did not forbid subcontractors from using slave labor. So, Michelle Obama is essentially correct in citing slaves as builders of the White House, but there were others working as well. Got it all? There will be a quiz.
Thanksgiving's origins lie in ancient, pre-Christian harvest festivals which are religious in nature, and have nothing to do with genocide
Conservative bigots love the idea of shredding the Constitution's 13th and 14th Amendments in place of actual immigration reform
Lincoln said "If slavery is not wrong, nothing is wrong" while the Bible says, "Slaves, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling"
The anniversary of the end of slavery was remembered by a tea party leader by admonishing African Americans to stop complaining their ancestors were indentured servants.
One hundred fifty years later, President Lincoln's Great Task remains uncompleted.
Republicans can talk about things that never happened as though they did, but Democrats cannot talk about things that DID actually happen
American capitalism supported white indentured servitude before and alongside black slavery and relinquished it only reluctantly.
Ralph Reed, mistaking the Bible for the US Constitution, believes his holy book should govern US immigration policy
Justice was decisive as she struck down the three GOP 'stooges' in Arkansas, best known for hating immigrants, loving slavery and advocating the death penalty for rebellious children.