Now Reading
Watch Bill O’Reilly: Slavery Wasn’t That Bad, They Were Well-Fed!

Watch Bill O’Reilly: Slavery Wasn’t That Bad, They Were Well-Fed!

Almost on cue, FOX host Bill O’Reilly felt obligated to step in and comment on the ridiculous controversy surrounding First Lady Michelle Obama’s accurate recognition of the roles that black slaves had in constructing the White House – and by extension, the role they played in building the foundation of our nation as we know it.

Michelle Obama said that “I wake up every morning in a house that was built by slaves — and I watch my daughters — two beautiful, intelligent, black young women — playing with their dogs on the White House lawn. And because of Hillary Clinton, my daughters — and all our sons and daughters — now take for granted that a woman can be President of the United States.”

Conservatives, of course, felt obligated to whitewash history and delegitimize the struggle of black slaves as well. O’Reilly, on his show last night, announced that:

“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.”

The implication, of course, is that since they were well-fed and had decent government lodgings, their lives must not have been that difficult, and therefore implying that the institution of slavery was not as heinous a crime against humanity as it truly is. It is absolutely mind-boggling that in this day and age we still have to put up with slavery apologists. It’s this refusal to recognize the suffering our nation inflicted on the first black Americans that perpetuates the divide between races in the present era.

Watch it here:

Colin Taylor
Opinion columnist and former editor-in-chief of Occupy Democrats. He graduated from Bennington College with a Bachelor's degree in history and political science. He now focuses on advancing the cause of social justice and equality in America.

© 2022 Occupy Democrats. All Rights Reserved.

Scroll To Top