Bill O’Reilly Wants You To Know That The Slaves Who Built The White House Were Well-Fed

[Rob L 3,811]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/bill-oreilly-white-house-slaves_us_579813bbe4b01180b530da0c

One of the most poignant moments in Monday night’s speech by first lady Michelle Obama was when she mentioned that her family lives in a White House that was built by slaves.

Fox News host Bill O’Reilly called it a “positive comment,” but had to add a clarification: The White House wasn’t built entirely by slaves.

“In addition, free blacks, whites and immigrants also worked on the massive building,” he said on “The O’Reilly Factor” on Tuesday night. “There were no illegal immigrants at that time. If you could make it here, you could stay here.”

In a clip posted online by Media Matters, O’Reilly also noted that the slaves involved in the construction of the White House got room and board in the deal:

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.

[We Keep Receipts 9,238]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/bill-oreilly-white-house-slaves_us_579813bbe4b01180b530da0c

One of the most poignant moments in Monday night’s speech by first lady Michelle Obama was when she mentioned that her family lives in a White House that was built by slaves.

Fox News host Bill O’Reilly called it a “positive comment,” but had to add a clarification: The White House wasn’t built entirely by slaves.

“In addition, free blacks, whites and immigrants also worked on the massive building,” he said on “The O’Reilly Factor” on Tuesday night. “There were no illegal immigrants at that time. If you could make it here, you could stay here.”

In a clip posted online by Media Matters, O’Reilly also noted that the slaves involved in the construction of the White House got room and board in the deal:

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.

This one is a hoot. Janelle posted it on her twitter yesterday. I have the PERFECT video for it, but there's no way I could post it here.

[smilesammich 10,727]

bill o'reilly and steve king, k - i - s - s - i - n - g..

[We Keep Receipts 9,238]

bill o'reilly and steve king, k - i - s - s - i - n - g..

A match made in white heaven

[Rob L 3,811]

bill o'reilly and steve king, k - i - s - s - i - n - g..

sittin a tree?

[Sousuke 1,214]

Wait, I thought the general contractor was John McShain Inc.

Edited July 27, 2016 by Sousuke

[smilesammich 10,727]

There is little dispute among historians that slaves had a role in the building of the White House. According to the White House Historical Association’swebsite, planners had initially intended to import workers from Europe but had trouble recruiting any, so they “turned to African-American — enslaved and free — to provide the bulk of labor that built the White House, the United States Capitol, and other early government buildings.”

The association said slaves had worked at the government’s quarry in Aquia, Va., to cut the stone for the walls of the White House. The construction team included white laborers from Maryland and Virginia and immigrants from Ireland, Scotland and other parts of Europe, the association said.

Jesse Holland, a Washington-based journalist who wrote “The Invisibles: The Untold Story of African American Slaves in the White House,” said that most people never thought about how the president’s house and other important government buildings had been constructed, but that historians had long acknowledged the role of slaves.

Graphic: Hillary Clinton Broke One Glass Ceiling. When Were Others Broken?

“If you think about it, it would be pretty obvious: The White House is a neo-Classical mansion that was built in the South during slavery, and a majority of the mansions that were built in the South during slavery used slaves,” Mr. Holland said in an interview.

“We as Americans build up a myth of our country, and a lot of times, we don’t want to look behind that myth,” he added. “For me, finding out the truth and acknowledging the participation of everyone in the construction of this country just makes our country richer.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/27/us/politics/michelle-obama-white-house-slavery.html

[Rob L 3,811]

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/27/us/politics/michelle-obama-white-house-slavery.html

I think that as an historic aside the creation of the White house , the involvement of slaves, the fact that slaves were entitled to keep their wages if they worked on the weekend, that they were treated relatively humanely ( but still the property of another man) . Interesting backstory.

But what O'Reilly is trying to do, is to detract from the emotional impact of the First Ladies statement, that a descendant of slaves lives in a national monument built by slaves.

[Sousuke 1,214]

I think that as an historic aside the creation of the White house , the involvement of slaves, the fact that slaves were entitled to keep their wages if they worked on the weekend, that they were treated relatively humanely ( but still the property of another man) . Interesting backstory.

But what O'Reilly is trying to do, is to detract from the emotional impact of the First Ladies statement, that a descendant of slaves lives in a national monument built by slaves.

The white house is not even 70 years old...

[smilesammich 10,727]

The white house is not even 70 years old...

ffs. EYEROLL.

[Rob L 3,811]

The white house is not even 70 years old...

I am fairly sure there have been rebuilds, but I don't agree the white house is less than 70 years old

https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/history/eeobtour/timeline_nonflash.html

[Rob L 3,811]

Not long after the Truman Balcony was completed, the main body of the mansion was found to be structurally unsound. Floors no longer merely creaked; they swayed. The president's bathtub was sinking into the floor. A leg of Margaret's piano broke through the floor in what is today the Private Dining Room. Engineers did a thorough examination and found plaster in a corner of the East Room sagging as much as 18 inches. Wooden beams had been weakened by cutting and drilling for plumbing and wiring over 150 years, and the addition of the steel roof and full third floor in 1927 added weight the building could no longer handle. They declared the whole house to be in imminent danger of collapse.

Lorenzo Winslow's 1948 plan for changes the White House, close to the actual implementation
(Truman Library)

Plans were discussed to demolish the building and rebuild it to the same design, but in the end, Truman went to Congress and requested the funding to rebuild the White House from the inside out, leaving only the stout brick outer walls and the rebuild the interior largely on the same plan as the existing house—very much the way President James Madison had done in 1814.

The old interior of the Residence was dismantled, leaving the house as a shell with the two modern wings. Some of the existing interior detail was saved, especially fireplace mantels. Some of the scrap was sold as souvenirs.

Blair House in 1951
(Truman Library | Utah U Marriott Library)

The mansion was then rebuilt using concrete and steel beams in place of its original wooden joists. Some modifications were made, with the most obvious being the repositioning of the grand staircase to open into the Entrance Hall, rather than the Cross Hall. Also, before the renovation, no baths connected with the guest rooms. Afterwards, all guest rooms had adjoining baths and separate baths were provid

[elmcitymaven 9,712]

This was a fun read -- directed here from the main Above the Law website: The Obligatory Takedown Of Every Stupid Line Of Bill O'Reilly's Version Of Slavery

(Note: even though this is on a Kinja website, ATL is not Gawker.)

[Sousuke 1,214]

Not long after the Truman Balcony was completed, the main body of the mansion was found to be structurally unsound. Floors no longer merely creaked; they swayed. The president's bathtub was sinking into the floor. A leg of Margaret's piano broke through the floor in what is today the Private Dining Room. Engineers did a thorough examination and found plaster in a corner of the East Room sagging as much as 18 inches. Wooden beams had been weakened by cutting and drilling for plumbing and wiring over 150 years, and the addition of the steel roof and full third floor in 1927 added weight the building could no longer handle. They declared the whole house to be in imminent danger of collapse.

Lorenzo Winslow's 1948 plan for changes the White House, close to the actual implementation

(Truman Library)

Plans were discussed to demolish the building and rebuild it to the same design, but in the end, Truman went to Congress and requested the funding to rebuild the White House from the inside out, leaving only the stout brick outer walls and the rebuild the interior largely on the same plan as the existing house—very much the way President James Madison had done in 1814.

The old interior of the Residence was dismantled, leaving the house as a shell with the two modern wings. Some of the existing interior detail was saved, especially fireplace mantels. Some of the scrap was sold as souvenirs.

Blair House in 1951

(Truman Library | Utah U Marriott Library)

The mansion was then rebuilt using concrete and steel beams in place of its original wooden joists. Some modifications were made, with the most obvious being the repositioning of the grand staircase to open into the Entrance Hall, rather than the Cross Hall. Also, before the renovation, no baths connected with the guest rooms. Afterwards, all guest rooms had adjoining baths and separate baths were provid

Yeah, personally I think the White House lost most of its historical value when it was gutted hence the joke about being less than 70 years old.

Can't blame Truman though, it was an issue from the 20s and 30s. Ironically he was the best president for the rebuild because his wife and daughter never spent time there. They lived in Missouri.

If you want to visit the original White House, you'll need to go to Arlington VA. Its under the Fort Meyer baseball field.

[Rob L 3,811]

Yeah, personally I think the White House lost most of its historical value when it was gutted hence the joke about being less than 70 years old.

Can't blame Truman though, it was an issue from the 20s and 30s. Ironically he was the best president for the rebuild because his wife and daughter never spent time there. They lived in Missouri.

If you want to visit the original White House, you'll need to go to Arlington VA. Its under the Fort Meyer baseball field.

If those slaves had been more responsible we would not had to spend the money to rebuild this thing twice. What a rip.