The Importance of Getting History Right, Part 9

The Importance of Getting History Right, Part 9
An Opportunity Seized by Progressives—and a Turning Point for America
9/16/16
Arthur W. Mitchell was the first black Democrat to be elected to the US Congress. He arrived at the House of Representatives in 1935 and proclaimed, “What I am interested in is to help this grand President of ours [FDR] feed the hungry and clothe the naked and provide work for the idle of every race and creed.” Roosevelt had won the 1932 election in a landslide and would go on to win the presidency three more times. His policies fostered a great deal of support nationwide for Democrats, but not all were happy with his approach to the economy. In fact, the “New Deal” has been called “a massive vote-buying scheme” for Roosevelt’s party. Thus, Arthur Mitchell’s statement about his task in Congress is more significant than you might think. While it sounds compassionate and noble, it actually reflected the beginning of a shift in Americans’ thinking on a number of important liberty-related issues. In this post we examine that shift, as well as its negative implications.

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