| ManusJustus said: Kasz, Again, you have to take the time period into consideration. Franklin Roosevelt wasnt anymore racist than the rest of America. Even Canada had its own Japanese internment camps. About George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Abraham Lincoln. I guess you think the wholesale destruction of Native Americans, the unequal status of blacks and women, and so forth are comendable? All these presidents sought a genocide of Native Americans as America moved its terriroty West, but somehow Franklin Roosvelt enacting a order that was not anymore racist than America or the rest of the West at that time qualifies him as a horrible president ever. Lets take a look at Theodore Roosevelt http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodore_Roosevelt He said that any war with savages was justified, and horribe treatment of savages during these wars are necessary. In the Brownsfield Affair he discharged an entire black army regiment, which Nixon would later apologize for and reverse. Of course, this was no different than the times, but applying today's moral standards... |
FDR was more racist then his wife and a bunch of others. There were plenty of protests against what he did.
The only way he could get that "law" passed was by making it an order.
Washington, Jefferson and Teddy ALL had more more progressive thoughts on race then FDR... despite all being president before him.
And all three and Lincoln had better records of trying to change things.
Not only did he not change things FDR made delibrite steps backwords.
It would be like if a president made an Jim Crow executive order.
Your one sided look on Theodore Roosevelt is hilarious though when you are ignoring the many many acts he accomplished to increase equality among American Citizens.
Teddy Roosevelt wasn't a racist. He was a Civilizationist. He thought America and Europe by way of their advanced technology was superior to other races and although it was horrible it was in the worlds best interest to have the land be controlled by the people with the best techology... no matter their skin color.
"American and Indian, Boer and Zulu, Cossack and Tartar, New Zealander and Maori, – in each case the victor, horrible though many of his deeds are, has laid deep the foundations for the future greatness of a mighty people."'
William McGill, a black preacher in Tennessee, wrote: "The administration of President Roosevelt is to the Negro what the heart is to the body. It has pumped life blood into every artery of the Negro in this country.
"Pope Leo XIII remarked approvingly of TR’s determination “to seek equality of treatment of all the races.”
Yet, FDR took a big step backwords from TRs example.
How can you continute to use "context of the times" as an excuse when FDR came after TR yet was more racist by large large degrees?
