Recently some school districts have decided
that they'll be teaching a unit on early American history
based on The New York Times 1619 Project,
which illustrates how the founding of this country
is inextricably tied to the institution of slavery.
But now there's one U.S. Senator who is objecting
in the strongest and also possibly stupidest terms.
Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton getting backlash for saying
that the Founding Fathers thought slavery
was a "necessary evil."
REPORTER: Tom Cotton wrote,
"As the Founding Fathers said,
"slavery was the necessary evil
upon which the union was built.'
REPORTER 2: The comment came during a conversation
about race and education. Senator Cotton
wants to defund the 1619 Project curriculum,
a New York Times program with the goal of re-examining
the legacy of slavery in our country.
He says the curriculum is racially divisive.
Hold up, hold up, hold up. Hold up, hold up.
So Senator Cotton thinks that this curriculum
is racially divisive? Really, this curriculum?
Yo, you know what's really racially divisive?
Slavery.
(hip-hop air horn blares)
Why would-why would you play that now? What are doi...
This guy acts like racial division doesn't exist
until slavery gets taught in school.
As if the black and white kids are in school like,
"♪ La, la-la ♪
♪ We love everybody. ♪"
All right, everybody, today we're gonna learn about slavery.
Yo, what the (bleep) did you do to us?
And here's the thing-- people are upset
because when Cotton says that
slavery was a necessary evil on which the union was built,
it sounds like he's defending slavery. Right?
And that's not something a U.S. senator should do,
even if his name is Cotton.
I mean, how's he gonna stay objective? I get it.
But if you-if you dig deeper and you take Cotton at his word,
all right, he believes that the United States could not
have become the country that it is without slavery.
Well, that's the same thing that the 1619 Project says.
So why is he fighting them?
You guys don't need to fight. You agree on the same thing,
This is like when Ken and Ryu would fight in Street Fighter.
I mean, you both agree on hadouken.
You both agree on shoryuken.
I mean, why are you even mad?
And you might be thinking: If Senator Cotton wants schools
to teach a less racially divisive version of slavery,
then why doesn't he introduce his own lesson plan?
Well, good news-- with our help, he already did.
MAN: Are you tired of school lesson plans
that teach slavery in a racially divisive way?
Then introduce your school
to the Tom Cotton's Lesson Plan for Slavery,
the only lesson plan that teaches slavery
without mentioning race.
With Senator Cotton, your students will learn
that in 1619, some Americans were slaves to other Americans;
that over time, more slaves were brought
from one of the seven continents chosen at random;
and that the Civil War ended slavery
for both blacks and whites.
Students will also learn that this all happened
a long time ago, which means it has no relevance
to anything happening today.
So buy the Tom Cotton's Slavery Lesson Plan today.
Order now, and we'll include
Tom Cotton's Lesson Plan for the Civil Rights Movement:
Letting Whites Sit in the Back of the Bus.
Well, that's our show for tonight, but before we go,
I just wanted to remind you that America is facing
a nationwide poll worker shortage.
And because most poll workers are over 60
and COVID is still in the air,
they are understandably not showing up.
But fewer poll workers
means that there are gonna be fewer polling stations open.
And it means there's gonna be longer lines
that not everybody can afford to stay and wait in,
especially in underserved communities.
The good news is most poll working is paid
and in some states you can be
as young as 16 if you want to do it.
So if you're interested and you have the time,
this is your opportunity to save your granny,
protect democracy and get paid, too.
All you got to do is sign up at the link to learn more.
Until tomorrow, stay safe out there.
Wash your hands and remember,
never meet with your national security advisor.
(air horn blaring)
Oh, that's my new doorbell.