Michele Bachmann flunks slavery history again [VIDEO]

• There were indentured servants from other continents. The slaves came from Africa and the carribean. The blacks were also the only race that was held in generational servitude. Any other race who fulfilled their service obligations were freed. In the case of blacks, if your daddy was a slave, you were born a slave, stayed a slave, and your children were slaves, and so on, and so on, and so on.

• You do understand that the democrat party of the civil war era has next to nothing to do with the party we recognize today, and as for the republicans of today they are the GOP or the Grand Old Party not the same party as the republicans of the civil war days.

• And what, pray tell, do you base this DUBIOUS bit of information on?

• ???? Just as much slaves as "Africans" back in the day? This is too too stoopid to respond to...

• Democrats made a civil war to keep slavery, jim craw laws, the KKK and republicans, who stopped this disgraceful democrat racism, with Lincoln and Dr. King, should be worried about this? Give me a break!

• You probably learned history at Bob Jones University.

• OMG You are just as stupid as Bachmann.

• And you are naive!!! Bachmann is an idiot who uses fear to appeal to a very fearful ignorant following. This is how she tries to gain power. Isn't that pathetic? Wake up Loki!

• And you point is?

• I bet you are a real success story, aren't you Jackass?!

• YOU look it up, your ignorant hick!

• And your point is?????????

• You are sick.

• What the hell are you talking about? Your comments make as much sense as a Bachmann or Palin rant.

• Are you kidding me with this reasoning?! Most slaves and most assuredly second generation slaves had no sense of any country as home and many had no sense of family as black families were torn apart when sold as property. You think they really thought America was the promised land? Are kidding me?!

• Hilarity ensues. I really do think she is at best, loosely tethered to reality. Oh how I wish she would make a presidential bid.

• I guess the part that amazes me [both parties] is that during the civil war the Democratic party wanted to keep slavery and when the Republican party was started one of the planks in their platform was to get rid of slavery. The Civil war did not start over slavery per sai, but the fact that Southern states were pulling out of the 'United States' and that is one of the major reasons it started. And yet here we are today with an 'African American' who is a Democrat as president??

• just move on.... just get over it.... dear preppy99 shove your patronizing advice up your ass.....

• I suggest that any people that consider themselves to be victims of slavery all get together. The federal government can fund ships to take those poor victims back to Africa... if they don't like that idea they can do the responsible thing and just move on.

• People can twist everything. This isn't about racism... this is about welfare. Ask her about slavery... she'll probably tell you it's illegal now get over it. She'll also tell you to quit twisting her words and get a real job.

• i did a typo with young democrats "aren't" going to change. Maybe in a couple years people will finally catch on and admit the reality of the young democratic voter, or even the older democratic voter. It's like people constantly telling people to eat vegetables and stop smoking, the reality people like to do things they like to do. Standing inline to vote, is NOT one of them, yet it takes effort to find out how to mail in a vote. There are millions of potential voters who WILL vote in your next election if they knew how easy it was. But in order for them to know they would have to take the time and effort to find out on their own. and guess what, that's not ever going to happen. Think of it this way. There is a massive group of voters out there who are democrats, who never vote. They might register, but they never vote because register is easier. The next election will come around, you smart educated democratics will hope and pray that the democrats who register will "actually" vote, and then they'll decide to rent a movie and eat a pizza instead. I'm sooo sorry but this is reality. You can't change things if you don't accept this fact. Sarah Palin will win because the smart educated democrats think millions of us lazy (but adorable:) democrats will just become responsible citizens and stand in the rain to vote. Then afterwards we will give up junk food and sugar and only eat vegetables, 'because that's the right thing to do". And then Sarah will be president, because republicans vote. the democrats you always expect to vote, but then never do, will still be doing this again and again. cute cartoon commericals young attractive people being funny in commercials the advertising companies know what commercials work, why don't use guys?

• THIS IS A WAKE UP CALL FOR DEMOCRATS. Republicans get away with this stuff all the time, you know why? They vote more! They can say what ever they want and get away with it every single time, because they get more votes. FOCUS on commericals showing how easy mail in voting is. Focus on the young (and lazy) democratic voters. I am that voter. I have no clue how to even get a ballot by mail, why? because I'm a typical young democrat, the ones you smart educated democrats always rely on thinking we'll vote, and in the end, WE DON'T. We need some creative people making commercials showing how easy it is to do abstintee ballots. The young lazy democrats are going to change, you smart guys need to understand this. Show commercials to the young democrats using good looking people and even cartoons to show how easy and hip it is to vote by mail..... If you're not listening to this post, you will lose again and again. IT"S ALL PSYCHOLOGY. Trick the young lazy voters to vote, by 'showing' them using t.v. commercial how easy it is that even a cute cartoon could do it. Lady Gaga did this with a video "showing" herself calling a senator, because she knew young people actually have to "see" it in order to "do" something. Just don't tell people to vote, SHOW THEM HOW easy it is. Really smart democratics, you underestimate how clueless we are. You can't win if you don't acknowledge this fact. Waiting for the cute cartoon commercials showing me how easy it is to mail vote. You can look down on the young lazy democrats, but HELLO!!! they are a massive massive voting pool you totally ignore, thinking they'll just become responsible citizens and vote because it's the right thing to do. NO, wake up to reality, we're lazy we watch t.v., we eat "fast" food. We don't want to wait in a line to vote for politicians. SHOW US HOW EASY IT IS TO MAIL IN OUR VOTES>>> SHOW US not TELL US it's our civic duty. We watch the commercials telling us we should vote, and we think about it, but change our minds last minute because we don't want to wait in stupid line. SHOW US HOW EASY IT IS to mail a vote, and quit assuming WE KNOW HOW to mail in a vote. I have no clue, and will refuse to vote until i see a commercial showing me how easy it is. Are you offended, because if you're not listening to me, you will still Barely win your elections just like in the past. pointless. Just accept what I have said and win every single election from here to 2090. show us commericals of how to vote by mail, and assume we know nothing, like make a commercial showing a 9 year old how to vote by mail. Oh by the way. THIS WILL WORK. THE ONLY REASON IT HASN'T IS BECAUSE YOU HAVEN'T DONE IT YET

• Anyone who so easily forgets that a large portion of this nation is from slave ancestry should not hold public office.

• As the last slaves were imported- legally- into the united states in 1808 and the war did not end until 1865. You are quite correct in your assessment that almost all of the Slaves were born in the USA by the end of the Civil War.

• 3/5 was a compromise and nothing else. There was no way the constitution was going to pass if it said slaves counted as 100% and the south wanted (without any rights) or 0% as the north wanted. The entire effort was because things were getting so bad under the Articles of Confederation that it was change the system or the new country was going to collapse. Slavery was and would remain a major contention within the union until (and even after) the Civil War, but the south won initially because the north saw greater needs. It should also be noted that slavery as an institution was actually on the decline until the growth of the cotton industry in the south. This was another reason that the north thought that it was not an issue worth fighting too hard against.

• I just saw a great piece on slavery on the Globe Trekker show on PBS. Worth watching.

• Why has she not been put to sleep?

• I think it's time the US House of Representatives voted on a measure to put the Hon. Ms. Bachmann to sleep.

• What an Idiot! Ask her who supplies her health insurance. The government! What a hypocrite.

• Michele Bachmann is an embarrassment to this country (and to women) just like Sarah Palin. She is a no-nothing loudmouth, who appeals to ignorant people that are angry about the state of things in this country, but have no idea who or what to be angry at.

• Maybe it's time someone ask Hart Van Denberg to stop criticizing others and instead also learn a bit about history. The 3/5 of a person issue for counting slaves was not that slaves were considered sub-human. Rather, it was done as a way to maintain the balance of power between the states. The fear was that if all the slaves were counted as individuals, then the unusually high southern population would result in a higher number of representatives (in the House of Representatives) would be allocated to southern states an that those representatives would be beholden to the slave owners and not the slaves, themselves. There were hot debates about the morality of slavery and those in the north wanted it to end -- even in the 1700's. If they let the south own the House by counting all their slaves, then the fear was that slavery would never end. The 3/5 number was put in place to keep the southern states' representatives lower than those from the north. To not do so, it was thought, would risk making slavery institutional without end. The 3/5 number had nothing to do with discrimination and everything to do with eventually ending slavery. Please ponder this from your glass house...

• How do these douche-bags get elected? (on either side) A fifth grader knows more about civics than this woman. I guess it's time to give her her own reality show - "My MinneSOtah"...

• I'd say a considerable number of constituents FROM her district consider her a major embarassment.

• Return to Africa in hopes of...? I am going to guess that most slaves were illiterate so they wouldn't know what the Declaration of Independence or the Constitution was saying. I'm also going to guess that most of them were born in the US by the end of the US Civil War. So what would you do, go to a country you have never been to and only have ancestral ties to, to a country where you will also be treated like an outsider (as was the case in Liberia), or stay in a place you're familiar with and live your life? And I doubt that the African-American slaves regarded the US as the "best" country in the world at the time considering the US was not a country of great power compared to its European counterparts, and those former slaves did not get to enjoy those rights bestowed to whites born in the US by the Constitution and its amendments.

• Women and their children, t

• My ancestors were "Acadian" now Cajun. In the 1700, the males of the family were put on a boat and returned to France and the women and their were sold as indentured servants along the eastern seaboard. Many, many stories like mine. Hardly freedom.

• I wish I had your blinders.

• Maybe some of us just expect our representatives to actually understand the history of our country so that they can make more intelligent, relevant decisions.

• It seems like you're really reaching in this story to try to nail her. I'm not a fan of her either, but you're just trying to create some sort of drama that isn't there.

• way to make a story out of nothing... thanks for trolling me Hart Van Douchebag

• It is somewhat interesting, that once freed, I believe, the former slaves where given the opportunity to return to Africa, but most chose to stay in America to "pursue happiness" just like everyone else. The founding fathers where not perfect, but none the less, you can not ignore the significance of the Declaration of Independence in the history of man. Even the former slaves recognized the importance of our founding documents, and chose to stay here because, they realized, too, that American is the best country on "Gods Green Earth"!

• This is an example of someone with mediocre intelligence getting a bunch of facts thrown at her and scrambling them up in her brain then spitting them out. Consequently, facts get distorted, heresay exaggerated, and lies become her reality. She is scary, just as Palin is, because she is affecting people's perceptions. There are like-minded people in this country that want to be told what to think. She's attractive, sounds like she knows what she's talking about, so they drink the kool-aid. Shame on people for not checking the facts.

• It was a 3 to 7 year contract and it wasn't just the Irish. Often their own family members would sell them into servitude as a way to pay off debts so you're right about it not always being the individual's choice, but it was nowhere as systematic as the institution of slavery practiced by the West. As bad as slavery was in the States it was even worse in South America and the Caribbean.

• Michele Bachmouth is so ignorant, she thinks blacks came to America of their own free will. How can she possibly be that stupid. Someone should enlighten her. The black people came here after being kidnapped from their own families and were thrown into the filthy cold wet holds of ships, lots of them died on the way here. Lots of others were thrown overboard when the slave ships were approached by British ships for inspections, (the British had already outlawed slavery. Do you think that Sarah and Michele went to the same school, since neither one of them know anything about history.

• "People have always had a choice to flee in search of allodium." Your understanding of history is as naive and flawed as Bachman's. Sure, those slaves had the choice to flee and take the chance that they would probably be either shot or tortured when caught, and most of them were. And where does choice come into it? They all chose to go to war (they weren't drafted or conscripted by their leaders) and therefore they chose to be slaves to American landowners? That's as reasonable as saying that no rich people ever immigrated to the US.

• Wow, lay off the Glenn Beck, Bo. The 3/5 compromise INCREASED southern power. Because the south had nearly all the slaves, making slaves worth 3/5 contributed to the size of districts and thus increasing the number of southern representatives. Slaves were not only counted as less than a person, but to add insult, they were counted to increase district populations yet received no benefit…clearly. The only real benefit the government got from the compromise was that it also required southern states to pay more in taxes. As a result, southerners dominated politics up until around the civil war. So, the 3/5ths clause actually increased southern power and very likely prolonged slavery…FYI.

• Slaves were still slaves in African. The Portuguese bought them. They were defeated in tribal wars and made into slaves. If slave trade hadn't happened they would of likely been brutally murdered on the African continent. Of course you can argue that this trade lead to more being put into slavery. The point being that a risk of warfare was to lose and become a slave. It was still a choice. People have always had a choice to flee in search of allodium.

• I tend to be more liberal (mostly on social issues) than the average person, but i respect conservatives very much and can understand where they are coming from. But this is a woman who has no sense of understanding and no knowledge. This isnt a left or right issue, she is a moron plain and simple.

• Seriously! Given the context here; this is not an attempt to try and revise history. It is merely a political over generalization. She is obvious trying to rally some patriotic further (for her current speech) and doing this by emphasize certain parts of history. Trying to rally support by reminding constituents that their for-bearers were persecuted, torture and enslaved is just bad speech writing.

• I live in the 6th district, and listening to her flaunt her ignorance is just as bad as hearing her "followers" repeat these things as if they are gospel....

• Only her district. She's like a drunk uncle no one in the rest of the family wants to acknowledge but your 13 year old kid thinks he's awesome.

• She also states that it was not the rich or nobility that come to this country. While that is true o nobility unless they were in exile, many of our founding fathers were well off even in there original countries, but either wanted greater challenge or wanted away from repressive governments (or were annoyances to their leaders and were paid off to leave. William Penn.)

• Not all indentured servants entered willingly. Many- perhaps even most- had no choice due to debts. These debts were often family ones and not the "servants" in the first place. It really was a form of slavery which is why it was outlawed.

• There was indentured servitude for a long time. Irish were often in that position. Yes, that is slavery.

• "literally just as much"?? no the Irish were certainly discriminated against and were paid meager wages, but they were paid. Slaves weren't.

• Those who came here to write their own ticket - WOW! Those people certainly deserve to feel shame for what they did and those that came here and were exploited know what a whitewashing of history this is. What a sad and despicable day in American politics, but Bachmann does the Libertarians proud.

• 100% human with 0% voting power. The slaveholders wanted them to count in order to gain themselves more power, but not to empower the slaves with any actual power or rights.

• As usual, the 3/5ths thing is MISREPRESENTED. The reason slaves were counted as 3/5 - was not to degrade them as human beings - their "masters" did that without any help from the Constitution - it was so the number of slaves held could be used to fluff up the numbers when apportioning out Congressional seats. Thanks to that gimmick SLAVE HOLDERS had more representatives (and more power) in Congress. And it was a "compromise". The slaveholders wanted them counted as 100% human...

• It does seem to be redundant, but then so is stupid idiot. The bottom line here is that this paragon of intellect on par with Glenn Beck, fails to understand that not everyone came here of their free will. Also if she believes this so much, then why not open up the southern border and have open immigration so that they can experience "the thrill of writing their own ticket". It's not only that she does not understand the history of slavery, she doesn't understand the history of immigration.

• "Ignorant morons?" This would seem to imply that there are well-informed morons running around out there. Some people should not be allowed to use words...

• There seems to be no limit to the number of subjects about which Michele Bachmann knows nothing.

• Well if you consider the Irish to be white, then they were literally just as much of slaves as Africans back in the day. You should look that up I understand that they don't teach it in public school as much anymore.

• ZzZzZ is probably referring to "indentured servants" who entered into a contract willingly. Of course, it's irrelevant to the discussion and tends to support the "idiots" that Z criticises. Really, Z might as well have written: "What you idiots who criticise Bachmann fail to realise is that the Sun weighs 2 octiliion tons, so you just look like ignorant morons".

• Please list the percentages of slaves that came from each continent.

• Even all white people didn't come here voluntarily. There were criminals sent here from England. Some of them were given the choice of jail or America, others were just outright transportees.

• Race baiting morons... Every time Bachmann speaks, you never fail to start harping about the fact black people were slaves, so you never fail to look like ignorant morons yourselves: you idiots ignore the fact that there were slaves from other continents, besides Africa. If ya'll weren't such pitiful failures at everything you do, I would laugh at you.

• This is really simple -- when she says "we," she means "we white people."

• Bo, are you just repeating Glenn Beck's talking points or being sarcastic? It was a cynical compromise so that Southern states increased their congressional representation, but in return had to pay more in taxes.

• and that somehow fixes her omission of slavery? they didn't get on the ships to come here willingly, and they didn't 'write their own ticket' either. She knows the history, but it would be embarassing to her to point out that low point in our nation's history. and completely counter to her 'we need to return to where we were' view when talking about the founding fathers... so she does what the GOP does best, revisionist history. As for everyone being free? michele, try marrying another woman... yeah, we're all equal here except when it comes to taxes, inheritance, and about 1100 other Federal laws. how often are her neighbors beat over the head with a hammer while walking their dog in their own neighborhood? Intolerance breeds intolerance... and the GOP needs intolerance and fear in order to exist. God knows it isn't their failed 'trickle-down' economic policy (that for some reason grants them the title 'fiscally conservative'). Tip number one on economics, if you help the people do well... EVERYONE does well. Tip number two, trickle-down economics has NEVER worked. Tip number three, promising budget cuts without raising taxes only drives the middle and lower class into poverty and widens the income gap. Tip number four, the GOP loves wealthy corporations... add it up, how do any republican policies help the majority of America? Answer, they don't. If michele is all for returning to the America of the founding fathers... I hope she's willing to sign everything she owns over to her husband, quit her job and give up her right to vote. All of those rights weren't part of the Constitution either. Gotta love revisionist history.

• NO - just that isolated district. Most of us consider her a major embarassment.

• The 3/5ths clause was intended to dilute southern power and to bring about an end to slavery... FYI

• Michele Bachmann is one exorcism shy of being okay dokey.

• Seriously enough to vote for her I guess :(

• I have a question as a Minnesota ex-pat. Do people there take here seriously?

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