Earlier this week, presidential historian Michael Beschloss tweeted a 1964 letter written by segregationist Alabama governor George Wallace to a woman in Cedar Spring, Michigan:
Here is the text of the entire letter:
Dear Miss Martin:
This will acknowledge and thank you for your letter of April 8, 1964, in which you request literature on the subject of segregation in the South. We have no material on this subject in our office. As a matter of fact, we have never had a problem here in the South except in a very few isolated instances and these have been the result of outside agitators.
Contrary to reports of many of the national news media and the propaganda distributed by various organizations, our efforts here in the South are not against the Negro citizen. We fight for the betterment of all citizens in our State.
I personally have done more for the Negroes of the State of Alabama than any other individual. I sponsored the Bill which established and provided for the three largest Negro Trade Schools in the South when I was a member of the Legislature. I served on the Board of Trustees of Tuskegee Institute, one of the finest Negro Institutions in America, for a period of two years. Since I have become Governor, I sponsored the program which has provided for two new Negro Junior Colleges and Trade Schools in the State of Alabama, and for the improvement of three already in existence. Through my efforts, all Negro Educational Institutions in the State have the largest appropriations in their history.
In addition, the State of Alabama enjoyed its greatest year of industrial development in 1963. Over 20,000 new jobs were created for the cities of Alabama. Many of these jobs [2] will be filled by Negroes. This industrial expansion will bring about better economic conditions in our State and will offer equality of opportunity.
Negro school teachers in the State of Alabama receive average higher pay than white school teachers. A check of the per capita income of the Negro Citizen of the State of Alabama will disclose that they receive income which is much greater than nearly any other State in the United States.
Our efforts are keyed to a fight to preserve Constitutional Government and States’ Sovereignty –not to hurt our Negro citizens.
White and colored have lived together in the South for generations in peace and equanimity. They each prefer their own pattern of society, their own churches and their own schools – which history and experience have proven are best for both races. (As stated before, outside agitators have created any major friction occurring between the races.) This is true and applies to other areas as well. People who move to the south from sections where there is not a large negro population soon realize and are most outspoken in favor of our customs once they learn for themselves that our design for living is best for all concerned.
With best wishes, I am
Sincerely yours,
George C Wallace
P.S. I am forwarding to you under separate cover copies of two of my speeches. One is on the Civil Rights Bill, the other on Communism.
Wallace writes, “we have never had a problem here in the South except in a very few isolated instances and these have been the result of outside agitators.”
Here is Donald Trump:
Here is Attorney General Bill Barr on May 30, 2020: “Groups of outside radicals and agitators are exploiting the situation to pursue their own separate, violent and extremist agenda.”
The White House retweeted this on June 9:
“The people who live in high-crime neighborhoods understand more about policing than the anti-cop agitators,” Heather Mac Donald writes.
“Defunding the police will hurt the very people its proponents think they’re helping.”
West Wing Reads: https://t.co/DaQTQQYSok pic.twitter.com/5sPqiG9rWN
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) June 9, 2020
Read this for a short history of the phrase “outside agitators.” Also, read Martin Luther King’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail.”
Here is Wallace again: “Contrary to reports of many of the national news media and the propaganda distributed by various organizations, our efforts here in the South are not against the Negro citizen.”
And Trump:
The Lamestream Media is doing everything within their power to foment hatred and anarchy. As long as everybody understands what they are doing, that they are FAKE NEWS and truly bad people with a sick agenda, we can easily work through them to GREATNESS!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 31, 2020
“This is a flat out lie. They (the media) are making things up” @CharlesHurt @IngrahamAngle The Lamestream Media is out of control. It would be impossible to fully explain how dishonest they are!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 6, 2020
The Lamestream Media refuses to talk about our Country’s record setting Jobs Numbers, which are indicating GREATNESS, and soon!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 8, 2020
Wallace again: “We fight for the betterment of all citizens in our state” (Italics mine).
And Trump:
“@julieruot: I want a president who believes all lives matter and that is why we need @realDonaldTrump.”
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 14, 2015
Or watch this:
Wallace wrote, “I personally have done more for the Negroes of the State of Alabama than any other individual.”
Trump:
Crazy Bernie and the Democrats should see this. I have done far more for the African American community than any President. Secured funding for HBCUs, Criminal Justice Reform, Opportunity Zones, School Choice, Record Low Unemployment, and so much more. THE BEST IS YET TO COME! https://t.co/CcOOsGcdDa
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 23, 2020
I HOPE ALL AFRICAN AMERICANS WILL READ AND STUDY THIS. 100% CORRECT. SLEEPY JOE WILL NEVER GET YOU THERE. HE NEVER HAS IN THE PAST. I WILL & HAVE!!! https://t.co/j15DLun4KV
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 24, 2020
President @realDonaldTrump has accomplished more for the African-American community in three years than the Washington establishment did in decades. pic.twitter.com/8XERt1aXns
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) November 8, 2019
And this:
Here is Wallace:
I sponsored the Bill which established and provided for the three largest Negro Trade Schools in the South when I was a member of the Legislature….Since I have become Governor, I sponsored the program which has provided for two new Negro Junior Colleges and Trade Schools in the State of Alabama, and for the improvement of three already in existence. Through my efforts, all Negro Educational Institutions in the State have the largest appropriations in their history.
Here is Trump:
GREAT WORK yesterday by the Senate to support our Historically Black Colleges and Universities! Thank you @BetsyDeVosED, @SenAlexander, and @SenatorTimScott for your leadership…
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 7, 2019
America’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities have unprecedented support from President @realDonaldTrump! pic.twitter.com/HdhCkaznyB
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) June 10, 2020
Get the full story here.
Wallace again: “In addition, the State of Alabama enjoyed its greatest year of industrial development in 1963. Over 20,000 new jobs were created for the cities of Alabama. Many of these jobs will be filled by Negroes.”
Trump:
It was exactly three years ago today, January 20, 2017, that I was sworn into office. So appropriate that today is also MLK jr DAY. African-American Unemployment is the LOWEST in the history of our Country, by far. Also, best Poverty, Youth, and Employment numbers, ever. Great!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 20, 2020
Under President @realDonaldTrump:
🇺🇸The African-American unemployment rate hit an all-time low.
🇺🇸African-American poverty has fallen to the lowest rate in history.
🇺🇸Groundbreaking criminal justice reform corrected laws that disproportionately harmed African Americans. pic.twitter.com/sHQM6HTiHp
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) February 28, 2020
Under the Trump Administration, African American unemployment is the lowest (best) in the history of the United States. No President has come close to doing this before! I also created successful Opportunity Zones. Waiting for Nancy and Elijah to say, “Thank you, Mr. President!”
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 28, 2019
….a look, the facts speak far louder than words! The Democrats always play the Race Card, when in fact they have done so little for our Nation’s great African American people. Now, lowest unemployment in U.S. history, and only getting better. Elijah Cummings has failed badly!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 28, 2019
So if African-American unemployment is now at the lowest number in history, median income the highest, and you then add all of the other things I have done, how do Democrats, who have done NOTHING for African-Americans but TALK, win the Black Vote? And it will only get better!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 30, 2018
History rhymes.