Screenshot/Fox News
- George "Tyrus" Murdoch downplayed America's history of slavery while discussing critical race theory.
- Murdoch argued that America was able to "to get slavery out of the way" in a "relatively short amount of time."
- It's unclear what Murdoch's argument about the length of slavery in America has to do with anti-racist education.
- See more stories on Insider's business page.
Fox News personality George Murdoch downplayed America's history of slavery while arguing during a Fox News appearance on Wednesday that critical race theory shouldn't be taught in elementary and high schools.
"As far as teaching our multicultural classrooms about race in this country, I think we need to start where we're at and acknowledge our history. But when you look at slavery in this country opposed to the world, 400 years is still too long, but at the same time other countries dealt with it for thousands of years, where America was able to get it — in a relatively short amount of time in terms of our history — to get slavery out of the way." " he said on the daytime news show "America's Newsroom."
It took the US almost 100 years after signing the Declaration of Independence — and a civil war — to abolish slavery. Slaves were first brought to Virginia in 1619 and made up a significant portion of the US population for about 250 years.
Critical race theory emerged out of the civil rights movement in the 1960s and 70s and holds that many American laws and systems are structurally racist and that most people of color suffer from racism on a daily basis.
It's unclear what Murdoch's argument about the length of slavery in America has to do with the anti-racist theory.
Republicans have aggressively campaigned against the Biden administration efforts to encourage schools to teach students about the history of slavery and its impacts, including systemic racism.
Biden hasn't proposed any changes to school curricula, but conservative state legislatures across the country have moved to ban critical race theory, which they call a "Marxist doctrine," from being taught in public schools. They've also opposed The New York Times' Pulitzer Prize-winning 1619 Project being taught to students.
Former President Donald Trump and Republican lawmakers have leaned into the campaign, attempting to fuel anger among the party's base. Fox has heavily covered the topic, often celebrating the backlash against anti-racist teachings. A Fox spokesperson didn't immediately provide comment to Insider.
Murdoch, who was formerly a professional wrestler known as "Tyrus," was accused of sexual harassment in 2019 by his former Fox co-host Britt McHenry. McHenry, then a Fox Nation host, sued Fox News for retaliation after she accused Murdoch of sexual misconduct. After she brought her allegations to Fox executives, Murdoch was promoted to host his own show on the network's streaming service.
-Justin Baragona (@justinbaragona) May 26, 2021