How 'Confederate apologist' Dennis Prager’s Civil War revisionism benefits MAGA 'insurrectionists'

Dennis Prager is not only a far-right talk radio host — he also heads PragerU, which creates "educational" materials that his critics have often attacked as disinformation.

One of those critics is Salon's Amanda Marcotte. In a scathing article published by Salon on September 13, the feminist journalist slams PragerU for making misleading claims about the U.S. Civil War and slavery and promoting "The Lost Cause."

Marcotte explains, "The 'Lost Cause' refers to a now multi-century effort of Confederate apologists to erase and distort the history of American slavery and the Civil War…. PragerU creators are smart enough to know that they can't get away with some of the dumber lies pushed by Confederate apologists — such as claiming that the North started the war — but the basic false premise of the Lost Cause is all over their videos. They portray the Civil War, which killed 1 out of every 40 Americans, like a minor political disagreement between good buddies."

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PragerU's videos, Marcotte argues, "embrace the 'slavery was no biggie' attitude of Confederate apologists."

"They even show Frederick Douglass, a famous abolitionist, making excuses for slavery by claiming it was 'a compromise to achieve something great,'" the Philadelphia-based journalist notes. "In reality, Douglass gave a speech in 1852 in which he declared, 'your shouts of liberty and equality' are a 'hollow mockery' and 'a thin veil to cover up crimes which would disgrace a nation of savages'…. An especially insidious video portrays President Abraham Lincoln taking a forgive-and-forget approach to the South."

Marcotte emphasizes that distorting events of the past makes it easier for PragerU's videos to distort modern events involving former President Donald Trump and the MAGA movement's "insurrectionists."

"Another important tie between the Confederates and the current MAGA movement is the fear and loathing of Black voters," Marcotte explains. "Trump's entire Big Lie tapped into racist assumptions about who is and isn't a 'legitimate' citizen. He repeatedly labeled voters in cities with large Black populations as 'frauds,' unsubtly tapping into white resentment over having to share power with Black people."

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Marcotte adds, "Notably, John Wilkes Booth decided to assassinate Lincoln after hearing the wartime president give a speech affirming support for Black suffrage. PragerU put this unsubtle 'let's just forget this ever happened' message into the mouth of a man literally murdered by the same forces they're making excuses for."

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Amanda Marcotte's full article for Salon is available at this link.