”MLK Jr. is Not Who You Think He is”: We Didn’t Know These Historical Figures Were Incredibly Problematic Until Now

We all know him as the Great Emancipator, but did you know Abraham Lincoln ordered the public execution of 38 Dakota Indians? Yeah, that’s right. Hundreds of people watched them die as punishment for the Santee Sioux uprising. I mean, come on, Abe. What a hypocritical person he truly was.

You can’t preach about freedom and equality and then turn around and order a mass execution like it’s nothing. You can’t have it both ways, man. We need to acknowledge Lincoln’s problematic actions and hold him accountable for them, even if it means reevaluating our idea of him as a “hero.”