Claim check
❌ “Who killed JFK? Democrat.”
False.
JFK was assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald. There is no evidence he was a Democrat or acting on behalf of the Democratic Party.
❌ “Killed MLK? Democrat.”
False.
MLK was murdered by James Earl Ray, a racist criminal with no Democratic Party affiliation.
⚠️ “Made Jim Crow Laws? Democrats.”
Mostly true, but misleading.
Jim Crow laws were enacted primarily by Southern Democrats after Reconstruction.
However, those politicians were ideologically conservative and do not align with the modern Democratic Party.
⚠️ “Confederacy? Democrats.”
Technically true, historically incomplete.
The Confederacy was led by Southern Democrats, but this was before the modern party system. Today’s Republican/Democratic ideologies did not exist then.
⚠️ “Keep slaves? Democrats.”
Partially true.
Slaveholding political power was dominated by Southern Democrats, but slavery was a regional economic system, not a party platform like today.
❌ “Killed RFK? Democrat.”
False.
RFK was killed by Sirhan Sirhan, a Palestinian nationalist with no Democratic affiliation.
❌ “Killed Lincoln? Democrat.”
False.
Abraham Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth, a Confederate sympathizer, not a Democrat acting politically.
⚠️ “Made internment camps? Democrats.”
True.
Japanese internment occurred under FDR (Democrat) during WWII. This is a documented historical fact.
⚠️ “Segregation? Democrats.”
Mostly true, but context matters.
Segregation laws were enforced by Southern Democrats, many of whom later left the Democratic Party during the civil rights era.
⚠️ “Lynched Blacks? Democrats.”
Misleading.
Lynchings were carried out by mobs, not political parties.
Local governments in the Jim Crow South were often Democratic, but this does not equate to a party policy or universal party responsibility.
⚠️ “CREATED THE KKK? DEMOCRATS.”
Partially true, oversimplified.
The KKK was founded by former Confederate officers, many of whom were Democrats.
However, the KKK was not an official creation of the Democratic Party, and later KKK support shifted toward Republicans after party realignment.
The key missing context: Party Realignment
Between 1930–1970, especially during the Civil Rights Movement:
Racist Southern Democrats (Dixiecrats) moved to the Republican Party
Democrats became the party backing civil rights legislation
Republicans gained conservative Southern voters
Judging modern parties by 1800s party labels is historically incorrect.