No, slavery didn’t build America. | Intellectual Takeout:
"It’s a popular narrative, but history doesn’t support it.
...Southerners also relied on connections in the North for imported goods.
The South became, economically if not formally, a kind of colonial dependency of the North.”
That isn’t the description of strength that one would think would come from a region employing the “peculiar institution” that America supposedly was built upon.
Instead,
it would appear that a region dependent upon enslaving others ended up enslaving itself to a free North.
...In 1860 the North had over 110,000 manufacturing establishments, the South just 18,000.
The North produced 94 percent of the country’s iron, 97 percent of is coal and – not incidentally – 97 percent of its firearms.
It contained 22,000 miles of railroad to the South’s 8,500.
The North outperformed the South agriculturally as well.
Northerners held 75 percent of the country’s farm acreage, produced 60 percent of its livestock, 67 percent of its corn, and 81 percent of its wheat.
All in all, they held 75 percent of the nation’s total wealth.”
That
final statistic combined with the North’s victory in the Civil War should be sufficient to dispel the idea that America was built on slavery.
Keep in mind, too, that
not all of the wealth in the South was generated by slaves.
Free men in the South also worked their own fields and industries.
The truth is, America was primarily built on the industry of free people.
Slavery was a terrible thing that went against the founding ideals of the country.
Nonetheless,
we do not need to create false narratives to know it was wrong and to have sympathy for both those who lived through it and for those who carried the scars forward.
Indeed,
it does damage to one’s cause to push a false narrative that cannot stand up under scrutiny and calls in to question any other statements one makes as well as the agenda for making them."
"In an interview on CBS’ “Face the Nation,” which aired Sunday, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz suggested that Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump and Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton are more alike that many have suggested.
"...Under the guise of policing "nuisance businesses," certain precincts are targeting minority-owned businesses -- usually small bodegas, laundromats, etc. -- with abatement actions that force owners to either lose their source of income or capitulate to the NYPD's overreaching demands.
Confederate Monument to be Removed from University of Louisville After 120 Years | TheBlaze.com:
This Cinco de Mayo-themed meal will be a safe place for all who identify with or support the transgender community,” the announcement states.
Cruz Offers ‘Common Sense’ Response to Caitlyn Jenner’s Critiques Regarding Transgender Bathroom Laws | Video | TheBlaze.com:
"Immigration and Customs Enforcement director Sarah Saldana acknowledged on Thursday that “sanctuary city” polices put federal immigration officers at risk, but she declined to support measures that would force local law enforcement agencies to scrap them.
"In case you didn’t know it, the ultra-rich are widely vilified—particularly within movements such as Occupy Wall Street and the political campaign of Bernie Sanders, which has captured the hearts of many a burgeoning millennial. Who are the ultra-rich? And why are they widely vilified? Many are executives, or work in industries such as finance, law, medicine, and technology—with the top 1% having an average household income of $1.2 million in 2008, according to federal tax data.1 While some inherited substantial wealth, many are self-made.
"From the 1950s to the early 1980s the Venezuelan economy was the strongest and most prosperous in South America.
The Jersey Shore gambling destination has endured years of strain as a third of its casinos shut down. But now its cash levels are low enough that bankruptcy is a possibility for the 39,000-population city, according to Mayor Don Guardian.
Army Retains Decorated Green Beret Who Punched Afghan Child Rapist | Glenn Beck:
