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10 Historic Reminders Not To Put Politicians On A Pedestal

Support the cause, not the individual.

10 Historic Reminders Not To Put Politicians On A Pedestal

March 04, 2022

With great power comes great responsibility. And with great responsibility comes failure. It's important to understand that even the noblest historical figures still have made major, sometimes deadly lapses in judgment. Here are 10 reminders of why we should celebrate causes over individuals and why we need to remain critical of even the greatest politicians.

10

Ronald Reagan and the AIDS crisis

RONALD REAGAN'S ADMINISTRATION TREATED THE AIDS EPIDEMIC AS A JOKE In 1982, Ronald Reagan's press secretary joked about the gay plague to media outlets. This indifference towards the crisis continued throughout his Presidency. Reagan didn't even mention it publicly until 1985, after over 12,000 Americans had died from the disease. CRACKED.COM — Source: BBC and Vox

9

Theodore Roosevelt

THEODORE ROOSEVELT BLAMED 167 BLACK SOLDIERS FOR A MURDER After a white bartender was killed in Brownsville, Texas, in 1906, white residents blamed the black soldiers of the nearby 25th Infantry Regiment, who had been in their barracks all night. Teddy Roosevelt ordered the discharge without honor of 167 Black soldiers, meaning they lost their pension, salaries, careers, and military honors. (Не didn't expel the white officers, who testified to the soldiers' innocence.) The government pardoned the men in 1972. CRACKED.COM — Source: Theodore Roosevelt Center

8

Franklin Roosevelt's Internment Camps

FDR ORDERED 100,000 JAPANESE AMERICANS INTO INTERNMENT CAMPS On February 19, 1942, Franklin Roosevelt issued an executive order that forced over 100,000 innocent men, women, and children into isolated and fenced camps. CRACKED.COM — Source: National Archives

7

Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Indigenous Rights

RUTH BADER GINSBURG HELPED TO TAKE AWAY INDIGENOUS RIGHTS In 2005, Ginsburg wrote the majority opinion for City of Sherrill V. Oneida Indian Nation of New York. The case set a devestating precedent for Indian sovereignity, and the language she used was dismissive of the rich history of Oneida Nation of New York. Supposedly, she would go on to regret this decision, but the harm was done. CRACKED.COM — Source: Cornell University

6

Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemmings

THOMAS JEFFERSON HAD SEX WITH AN ENSLAVED TEEN Female slaves had no legal right to refuse unwanted sexual advances. Some historians consider sexual acts between enslaver and enslaved as inherently rape because of the power imbalance. Sally Hemings (believed to be the child of Martha Jefferson's father) agreed to return to Jefferson's Monticello under the agreement that her children would have freedom. She had at least six children fathered by Jefferson. She was never officially freed. CRACKED.COM — Source: Monticello

5

Winston Churchill and the 1943 Famine in Bengal

WINSTON CHURCHILL'S POLICIES LED TO THE DEATH OF 3 MILLION PEOPLE. The 1943 famine in Bengal didn't have natural causes but was completely caused by policy failure. During WWII, Britian took supplies of rice from India for priority classes as many Indian people were starving. CRACKED.COM — Source: The Guardian

4

Abraham Lincoln and Racial Inequality

ABRAHAM LINCOLN DIDN'T SUPPORT RACIAL EQUALITY The 'Great Emancipator' was still very much a man of his time. Не once said, I have no purpose to introduce political and social equality between the white and the black races. There is physical difference between the two, which in my judgment will probably forever forbid their living together upon the footing of perfect equality. CRACKED.COM — Source: NPR Illinois

3

Winnie Mandela and Stompie Moeketsi Murder

NELSON MANDELA STOOD BY HIS WIFE AFTER SHE KIDNAPPED FOUR BOYS While Nelson Mandela was in prison, his wife Winnie Mandela was guarded by the Mandela United (so-called) Football Club. Four boys were supposedly kidnapped by the club in an attempt to frame a minister for molestation. 14-year-old Stompie Moeketsi was found dead, supposedly beaten to death by bodyguards. CRACKED.COM — Source: New York Times

2

RFK, JFK, and MLK

ROBERT F. KENNEDY AUTHORIZED WIRETAPS ON MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. The FBI under John F. Kennedy's administration wiretapped him because of connection to a supposed communist. The FBI investigation went out of control, exposing his extramarital affairs and even going so far as sendng him tapes and an anonymous letter telling him to kill himself. CRACKED.COM — Source: NPR

1

George Washington

GEORGE WASHINGTON PUT IN EXTRA EFFORT TO ENSURE SLAVERY Starting in 1780, the Washingtons transported their enslaved workers in and out of Pennsylvania every six months to avoid a law that would have allowed for their freedom. Washington was an enslaver since he inherited 10 slaves at the age of 11. By the Revolutionary War, he enslaved 150 people. CRACKED.COM — Source: History

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