4. The US Capitol Building and the White House
Michelle Obama, one of the most loved first ladies our country has ever had, sparked a sensation in 2016 when she claimed that the White House was built by slaves. People were shocked when they heard Mrs. Obama, but she made a valid point.
Back in 1792, people started to work on the first-ever White House. According to the White House Historical Association, initial plans called for recruiting European employees to assist in the construction, but when that didn’t work out as planned, they resorted to African Americans of both free and enslaved status.
In 1793, people began constructing the Capitol Building, and it seems that it was also built using the labor of slaves. Like the White House, other government agencies had trouble finding qualified workers, so they resorted to renting slaves.
The Architect of the Capitol said that in 2012, Congress set up a memorial to remember the work of the slaves who helped build the Capitol.
…This isn’t the end of this story! Click on the next page to read the rest of it!
18 Responses
The Democrat Party is strongly connected to slavery.
True. However, in 50’s and 60’s all the white racist Democrats became Republicans. Not all Republicans are racist but all American white racist vote Republican now!
People sooo disturbed by the PAST practice of slavery and demanded that those with a history of participating in this awful practice be penalized. Need to look at the slavery that occurs TODAY. I think that instead of complaining about a common practice from history; we need to eliminate this barbaric practice from occurring in our communities NOW. People from many countries, for many reasons, are being enslaved by many different people throughout the world.
Why doesn’t your historical files article not focus on the U.S. Federal and States role in supporting and leading slavery throughout our history?
Why single out 5 random companies as being racist and supporting slavery, but not our government?
Better yet, why don’t we just all move on.
I wish these folks had picked their own crops, built their structures with only American workers, and did not engage with the Jewish Slave Traders of Holland, the Bankers like Goldman-Sachs, Lehmen Brothers, and the Planters in the West Indies who were using Irish prisoners for hard labor…they could not take the heat and humidity and thus the Jewish Planters replaced them with African Slaves that were being bought-and-sold by the Arabs. The poor devils would still be therein had they not brought them into America. But they are here now. Darwin marveled at the fact that not a single Black African ever built a boat and “explored” the outside World. Had the good-hearted Jewish Slave Traders not brought them here, they would still be happy and content living in tribal Africa–amazing.
What History book are you getting this propaganda from? There was never a Paradise in Africa. African cultures started to develop , but chose Tribalism as a form of Organization. The African Cultures started Slavery long before the European’s ever were engaged with them. Interestingly your Prejudicial point of view points out only one small group in Europe that was engaged in Slavery, ignoring the major role all the other groups controlling it played. What the world needs now is Unity, not antiquated scapegoating. All groups can find a period of time in the past that their group was treated badly. We don’t live in the past, and may not live to see a future with that type of backward name blaming. Why are so many cultures demanding to get into America, and some European Countries today? Could it be the Cultures that they came from are unbearable, because it lives in the past, rather them taking advantage of the present benefits the West can offer, if accepted. Your thinking is archaic, destructive and will not produce the World you seem to think is being deprived from others. If there is a future , the historians will write about the divergence in people’s beliefs. Those that look forward to a Unified democratic free one, or the tribalism that replaced it!
most of this I knew, but found the article on Washington very interesting.
Normally I don’t learn article on blogs, however I would like to say that this write-up very pressured me to try and do it! Your writing taste has been amazed me. Thanks, quite nice article.
When One speaks of slavery, they seem to leave a particular group out, the white indentured servant.
Both start with an S though servant and slave have completely different meanings and indentured means service for a specified time
Most Americans black and white ASSUMED that the White House and the Capital were built by Whites. This is true in all schools. Growing up in the fifties the only noble Blacks were George Wahington Carver and Booker T Washington. Whites in segregated schools were not taught of the many inventions by Black Americans, if a thing was mentioned, it was assumed by both Whites and Blacks, it was invented by Whites. Even today still contributions by Blacks in the USA are still Hidden. Slowly young black historians are correcting the lies and revealing the many great contributions made by Blacks from the day they invented the cotton gin to the very present contributions on the internet and books. White Christion theologians/scholars still TODAY teach the bible from a white perspective as 99.8% in the Bible are white.
As a Black African American and past NAACP president in two states, leave the school’s name Yale permanent. I’m against
monuments and statues of racist white Americans on public land, place them in the libraries or in museums, it is history. I’m against them being destroyed. The Yale university policies to my knowledge are not racist. Jesse Kelly should work to get ALL black students registered to vote, and vote in ALL local and state elections.
The slave trade started in Africa by black slave traders. One of the largest plantations in America was owned by a black slave owner. The democrats owned plenty of slaves during the 1700-1800. You cannot erase history.
I wonder what information is available about indentured servants. Who bought and used them, were they black and British, English or African? Just amazed that all the other peoples that were enslaved are glossed over and forgotten.
The poorest people have always been slaves throughout history. African people were the biggest slave traders. Most of that trade was within their own country in the 1700&1800’s. The so called “Civil” world took advantage of the opportunity and went to Africa and bought African slaves from African citizens. There have always been slaves. There are millions of slaves now in every country in the world. The middle east, India, Malaysia, North Korea, Indonesia, Russia and China are among the worst offenders.
God Bless the USA each and everyday there are those that take their freedoms for granted !
WHAT’S THE DEAL WITH BCE AND CE? IS IT THE CHRISTIAN ERA OR CHRIST’S ERA? HOW IS THIS BETTER THAN BC/AD?