Bill O’Reilly says White House slaves ‘were well-fed and had decent lodgings’
During Michelle Obama’s speech on the opening night of the Democratic National Convention, the first lady offered a powerful, personal reminder of America’s dark racial history — and just how far the country has come.
“I wake up every morning in a house that was built by slaves,” she said. “And I watch my daughters — two beautiful, intelligent, black young women — playing with their dogs on the White House lawn.”
Fox News host and resident historian Bill O’Reilly decided to fact-check that line for viewers of his primetime show on Tuesday night.
“Michelle Obama referenced slaves building the White House in referring to the evolution of America in a positive way. It was a positive comment,” O’Reilly said. “Slaves did participate in the construction of the White House. Records show about 400 payments made to slave masters between 1795 and 1801. In addition, free blacks, whites, and immigrants also worked on the massive building. There were no illegal immigrants at that time. If you could make it here, you could stay here.”
He didn’t stop there.
“Slaves that worked there were well-fed and had decent lodgings provided by the government,” O’Reilly said, noting that the White House stopped hiring slave labor in 1802 but “did not forbid subcontractors” from using them.
“So Michelle Obama is essentially correct in citing slaves as builders of the White House,” O’Reilly concluded. “But there were others working as well.”
O’Reilly’s defense of the living conditions for White House slaves didn’t sit well with historians like Liam Hogan, who tore the Fox News host apart on Twitter.
This is how chattel slavery was defended by slave owners and pro-slavery interests. Unbelievable. https://t.co/tvRSJeAR2x
— Liam Hogan (@Limerick1914) July 27, 2016
Think about this. O'Reilly discussed chattel slavery in front of millions of viewers & the only adjectives he used were "well" and "decent"
— Liam Hogan (@Limerick1914) July 27, 2016
Further reading pic.twitter.com/vQgrOOOCMP
— Liam Hogan (@Limerick1914) July 27, 2016
In 1800 Abigail Adams observed that a group of slaves working at the White House were "half fed, and destitute of clothing"
— Liam Hogan (@Limerick1914) July 27, 2016
It's important that we remember the pro-slavery and racist lineage of the trope of the "well-fed Negro." This is O'Reilly's source.
— Liam Hogan (@Limerick1914) July 27, 2016
Others were equally appalled.
Yes folks, it's 2016, and Bill O'Reilly is still defending slavery. https://t.co/hhDphj2JSz
— Steve Silberman (@stevesilberman) July 27, 2016
Bill O'Reilly, senior slave correspondent https://t.co/QROjd2zPR0
— Gideon Resnick (@GideonResnick) July 27, 2016
Soon Bill O'Reilly will argue that Black unemployment was lower under slavery.
— Arash Karami (@thekarami) July 27, 2016
I feel like Bill O'Reilly might have a lot of time to golf with Roger Ailes soon.
— Mark Harris (@MarkHarrisNYC) July 27, 2016
O’Reilly wasn’t the only conservative commentator to stir controversy in response to Michelle Obama’s speech.
Earlier Tuesday, Rush Limbaugh said the Obamas “can’t stop talking about slavery.”
“I mean, that’s their starting point, and I think that’s a no-win situation for us because we’ve made great strides,” Limbaugh said on his syndicated radio show. “This country has made phenomenal strides since then. Undeniable.”
“They love to wax eloquent about the early days and how they were three-fifths of a person, even though they never have been three-fifths of a person,” Limbaugh added. “He doesn’t even have any slave blood. She does, but he doesn’t, but they will admit they’re never going to let it go.”
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