3 chapters across the catalog
Historical records show that while Amos Akerman prosecuted hundreds of Klansmen, President Ulysses S. Grant abruptly fired him and commuted the sentences of many convicts. The hosts suggest Akerman was actually removed for challenging Northern capitalists and railroad subsidies. They draw a parallel to modern politics, suggesting Kristen Clarke should focus on Big Pharma's civil rights infringements rather than political posturing.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is heard discussing how the U.S. government provided an "economic floor" for white peasants through land grants and subsidies while denying similar support to black citizens. King explicitly stated that the civil rights movement was "coming to get our check." This historical context is used to challenge modern politicians who claim reparations are a new or radical concept.
A rare 1968 clip of Martin Luther King Jr. features him demanding a "check" from the federal government. King contrasts the government's refusal to support freed slaves with the millions of acres of land and low-interest loans given to white European peasants to undergird their economic floor. The hosts highlight this speech to counter the "bootstrap" narrative often attributed to King by modern conservative pundits.
