MLK Was Corrupt, But America’s History Is Filled With Black Heroes

Tomorrow is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. It has been corrupted by the radical left, which tries and push CRT while playing up the accusations of America as a racist country. But even apart from that Democrat framing, I’m going to make the controversial argument that Martin Luther King, Jr. is not the ideal representative of civil rights heroism in American history. 

It is long past time that Americans on both sides of the political aisle faced the truth of the racism in America’s past and honored the black American patriots of our history. In terms of its founding principles and ideals, America, of course, was not founded to be a racist country. The opposite is true. As Frederick Douglass once observed, slavery could’ve been abolished without changing a word of the Constitution. Black Americans could vote in most states when the Constitution was first ratified. But unfortunately, as with any great endeavor, America did not always live up to its own ideals, and thousands of people suffered for it. So today, let us take the opportunity to learn about some of the largely unsung black heroes of American history, whose courage and virtue made this nation what it is. You probably haven’t heard of many of them, so perhaps pick one or two out of my list below for further study. James Armistead Lafayette, Booker T. Washington, Elijah Anderson, Joseph Rainey, James Baskett, Hiram Revels, Augustus Tolton, Samuel Lee, Bill Robinson, Phillis Wheatley, Medgar Evers, William Still, Milton Olive… every one a hero.

Firstly, why is MLK controversial as a hero? King did a great deal for Civil Rights and inspired millions, undeniably, but there is evidence he also did a number of morally reprehensible things in his personal life, including having affairs with as many as 45 women. And then there’s the fact that part of his most famous speech was plagiarized from another black Republican, Archibald Carey.  In 2019 it was reported that, “Secret FBI tapes that accuse Martin Luther King Jr of having extramarital affairs with '40 to 45 women' and even claim he 'looked on and laughed' as a pastor friend raped a parishioner exist.” Whether all those accusations are completely true or not — the FBI has sometimes been accurate in investigations — King was undeniably a philanderer and plagiarizer. He was not the best representative of black American heroism. So who is? Well, I don’t know if there’s one person in particular. But there are countless noble and essential black heroes in American history who deserve far more recognition than they now get. It is important to celebrate Americans of all ethnic backgrounds, but in light of tomorrow’s holiday, I will focus on black Americans today.

Many of these heroes have been buried in history purposefully either by modern radical Marxists or by white supremacists of former years. And yes, America did have a severe problem with racism for 200 or more years. I think conservatives have a tendency to cover up for Democrats, Confederates, and other white supremacists of past times and deny how terrible slavery and post-war Jim Crow were because they are reactionary to the left, and if the left says America had a racism problem, we simply deny it, instead of taking charge of the narrative of history. I have written a number of articles about the heinous policies, war crimes, massacres, and anti-American campaigns of the Confederates and Democrats, from Andrew Jackson onwards. 

We are still dealing with the effects of these men’s decisions today, and lying about it or ignoring it simply perpetuates the problem. If Marxist Democrats are not to continue to control our institutions and minds, we will have to be honest. The good news is that there are many inspiring stories alongside the tragedies.

There were numerous black Patriots of the Revolution, including the black soldiers of Washington’s Indispensables and Immortals. Four whom I particularly admire are Salem Poor and Peter Salem, soldier heroes of the Battle of Bunker Hill; Phillis Wheatley, the slave who became a Revolutionary Patriot poetess and America’s first published black author; and James Armistead Lafayette, the brilliant slave-turned-Patriot double agent whose spy work was so essential to the American Revolution’s success. Other black soldiers at Bunker’s Hill were Caesar Brown, Prince Estabrook, Grant Cooper, Prince Hall, and George Middleton. Cato and Quaco, like Armistead Lafayette, were slaves turned Patriot spies.

Related: Meet Slave, American Hero, and Patriot Spy James Armistead Lafayette

There are so many others. Harriet Tubman, heroine of the Underground Railroad. Ida B. Wells, civil rights champion and fearless journalist. Booker T. Washington, former slave, educator, and moving orator. Augustus Tolton, America’s first black Catholic priest, who inadvertently ripped the mask off the false religiosity of so many racist “Christians.” Medgar Evers, the first NAACP state field secretary in Mississippi who was assassinated for his civil rights activism.  Samuel J. Lee, the former slave and outstanding attorney who served as the first black speaker of the South Carolina House (and who unfortunately “lost” a congressional seat through election fraud by racist Democrats).  Elijah Anderson, martyr of the Underground Railroad. Hattie McDaniel, the talented actress who was the first black Academy Award winner. Sidney Poitier, the first black actor to win the Best Actor Oscar. 

Read Also: Washington Crossing the Delaware and American Ideals in One Painting

There’s the Tuskegee Airmen (including Daniel “Chappie” James Jr.), the first black U.S. military flying unit that won over 850 medals for their heroism. The all-black—including all-black officers—370th Infantry in WWI, whose exceptional bravery in battle earned them the nickname “Harlem Hellfighters” and the prestigious French military award, the Croix de Guerre. Dorie Miller, the first black American awarded the Navy Cross. Vietnam military heroes Milton Olive III and Stanley C. Goff.  

Mack Robinson, groundbreaking athlete and Olympic medalist, his brother Jackie Robinson of baseball fame, and Olympic champion Jesse Owens. Hiram Revels and Joseph Rainey, the first black U.S. senator and congressman. Nancy Green, the former slave who became America’s first living trademark, “Aunt Jemima.” Clarence Thomas, the Supreme Court justice who has held the line on Constitutionality as so many of his fellow justices ignore or violate the Constitution shamelessly. Mark Robinson, who told so many hard truths Democrats went after him with a high tech lynching. I wish I had the space to tell their stories, and many others’, in detail.

Some names are still remembered, though not so lauded as King. Frederick Douglass was a remarkable man his whole life, as a slave, an escaped slave, an orator, a recruiter for the Union army, and a civil rights champion. He seems nearly single-handedly to have persuaded Abraham Lincoln that racism of any sort was wrong and that black Americans deserved the same rights as white Americans. Lincoln told Douglass soon before he died that he valued Douglass’s opinion above that of any other man. Then there was George Washington Carver, “American agricultural chemist, agronomist, and experimenter whose development of new products derived from peanuts (groundnuts), sweet potatoes, and soybeans helped revolutionize the agricultural economy of the South.” 

We are and have always been a nation of great men and women, as the black heroes of American history bear such inspirational witness.