In one PragerU Kids cartoon adventure, brother and sister duo Leo and Layla visit the former slave and famous abolitionist, Frederick Douglass, who says, “Our system is wonderful, and the Constitution is a glorious liberty document! We just need to convince enough Americans to be true to it.”
While PragerU has been criticized for “putting words” in Douglass’s mouth, the phrase “the Constitution is a glorious liberty document!” is taken directly from Douglass’s famous 1852 Fourth of July speech, one of the greatest speeches in American history. It should be required reading for every American high school student.
Douglass hated slavery and worked hard within the American system to abolish it. That is why he joined the Republican Party, encouraged free blacks to join the Union Army, and wanted Americans to adhere to their Constitution, not throw it out—all of which is explained in this animated video for elementary students.
In another cartoon episode, Leo and Layla visit Christopher Columbus, who makes the following statement: “Slavery is as old as time and has taken place in every corner of the world…I don’t see the problem.”
Critics on the left seem to dislike the way Columbus speaks about slavery in this cartoon. But had he condemned it, that would have been inaccurate. Slavery was commonplace from the dawn of history until centuries after Columbus’s death. From his perspective, it was just the way the world worked.
PragerU never minimizes the evils of slavery. Our critics choose to either ignore or lie about PragerU’s condemnation of slavery as an awful part of American history in these cartoons and many other pieces of content.
While some paraphrasing is useful for relaying complex ideas to a young audience, PragerU is meticulous about thoroughly researching the facts, clearly representing accurate history, and offering important age-appropriate context, something that is sorely lacking in the contemporary teaching of history. Based on the backlash we receive, it is evident that our critics do not hold themselves to the same standards.
