Fox News entertainer Bill O’Reilly told his audience that he fancies himself a history teacher. In that role, he took it upon himself to break the hard news that First Lady Michelle Obama wasn’t lying in her convention speech when she said that the White House was constructed by slaves. Yet, he knew that his history lesson would not go down easy since it sullies cherished notions of purity and national virtue, so he softened things on the edges.
For example, while he found evidence of “about 400 payments made to slave masters between 1795 and 1801” for contract work on the new Executive Mansion, he assured people that “free blacks, whites, and immigrants also worked on the massive building.” You see, the White House isn’t forever soiled if some of the nails were hammered by non-slaves, including some whites. As for the distinction between slaves, whites and immigrants, he explained that, too.
There were no illegal immigrants at that time. If you could make it here, you could stay here.
He did not explain how the nonimmigrant whites got here or if the Chinese built the railroads before or after the dinosaurs were raptured. Apparently, those lessons are only appropriate for Sunday School.
What he mainly wanted to impress upon people, though, was that things are not so dire as they might seem.
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.
By saying that Michelle Obama was “essentially” correct, he was saying that she wasn’t correct at all, so when she walks around the White House grounds with her black daughters and thinks how amazing it is for them to live there when their ancestors were forced at musketpoint to build the place, well, she still hates America.
That the First Lady said something true but discomforting sure did require a lengthy response, didn’t it?
And we’re supposed to give O’Reilly credit for acknowledging this and even noting that Michelle was “referring to the evolution of America in a positive way.”
I’m sorry, but giving O’Reilly credit here would be giving in to the soft bigotry of low expectations.
I once toured a plantation in Louisiana and heard something similar from the tour guide–a young woman dressed in period clothing–about the slaves: they were well fed and housed etc. I wonder if that’s a standard part of the interpretive patter when talking about American slavery.
Did Slaves Feel Fortunate? And Other Questions Asked Of A Plantation Tour Guide
The reddit thread!
https:/m.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/3bt6ot/hi_im_a_former_historic_guide_who_has_heard
Even to this day, the diet of African Americans, particularly in the South, reflects that they were not well fed and had to make due with the leftovers that their owners would not touch.
Fortunately, some of that stuff is actually really tasty, but that’s just one more example of the genius that African-Americans have contributed to our nation.
Martin, is right and Bill O is wrong. Hey, look — I have Abigail Adams right here:
“The effects of Slavery are visible every where; and I have amused myself from day to day in looking at the labour of 12 negroes from my window, who are employd with four small Horse Carts to remove some dirt in front of the house. the four carts are all loaded at the same time, and whilst four carry this rubish about half a mile, the remaining eight rest upon their Shovels, Two of our hardy N England men would do as much work in a day as the whole 12, but it is true Republicanism that drive the Slaves half fed, and destitute of clothing…whilst the owner waches about Idle, tho his one Slave is all the property he can boast, Such is the case of many of the inhabitants of this place.”
Abigail Smith Adams to Cotton Tufts, 28 November 1800
http://founders.archives.gov/documents/Adams/99-03-02-0799
I STRONGLY recommend ‘The Fall of the House of Dixie’, by Bruce Levine. It goes into great detail on that subject, and how southern culture of the early 1800’s needed to believe it.
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Who is out there giving him credit? Also it’s not low expectations to give him credit, indeed no one should be giving him credit at all. He is explicitly defending white supremacy. This is the same argument you’ll get from The South Will Rise Again types — “the slaves got free food and housing”. It is an explicit defense of slavery. Fuck Bill O’Reilly.
Listen more carefully. He’s not about defending slavery here. He’s about defending the virtue of the White House.
As part of that, you get a bit of the standard “slavery wasn’t so bad’ defense, but you get much more.
I agree and yet, perhaps because I’m generally optimistic in outlook, his comment feels to me like a step in the direction of acceptance. We’re past denial and into bargaining. That’s progress.
I was once in a smallish audience of maybe 100 people with the Dalai Lama. Someone asked what he thought of fundamentalism. He said he considers it a first step in a healthy direction. I’m one of those progressives with a place in my heart for spirituality and even religion. Being in his presence was sort of magical. His vibration seemed to place the rest of us in this state of love and deep peace. There may be just a few people like him in the world but I think such people carry valuable perspectives and insights. I also think they’ve existed at one time or anther in all religions; otherwise, their religion wouldn’t exist. So the key is to dig through all the bullshit that accumulates over time, down to the deep truths and teachings held by the very few holy men and women who held and carried those truths for a time. Christians have turned their religion into a personality cult but that doesn’t invalidate the core message. Same for other religions.
Booman sez: “He did not explain how the nonimmigrant whites got here or if the Chinese built the railroads before or after the dinosaurs were raptured.”
Sorry, but sarcasm like this has been banned.
The answer to your question, however, is that the dinosaurs were raptured while Chinese laborers were riding them to work.
Booman also sez: “There were no illegal immigrants at that time. If you could make it here, you could stay here.”
Lord, I wish this were taught in our schools. I’ll wager that in the case of most folks who rant against undocumented immigrants and blather about how their ancestors came here legally…that those ancestors arrived long before the days of immigration agents, health inspectors, and visas.
#whiteslavesmatter
Of ALL people, Bill O’Really, obviously of Irish heritage, should stay away from the immigrant question LOL. It wasn’t until after the mass migration of roman catholics from Ireland after the 1830’s that there was ANY protest from the majority WASPs on immigration. Even then, it took another 35 years for any immigration laws to appear on the books. And I’m SURE that all those slaves were working voluntarily, right? And were happy and gay and singing spirituals!!11!!!
Not to mention Cromwell shipping off half the country to the Bahamas in the 1600’s. Catholics were not considered human. Irish Apes, we were.
Billo provides pablum twaddle to his white supremacist “Christiany” fans to make them feel good about themselves. Screw Billo who is handsomely rewarded for spreading complete lies to gin up racism, sexism, homophobia, xenophobia and worse amongst his white supremacist fans. Go choke on a felafel.
Haha! Did you enjoy bringing out that last line as much as it seemed?