Can you outsmart the fallacy that divided a nation? - Elizabeth Cox
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It’s 1819. The US is preparing to make Missouri and Maine new states. One representative insists that slavery shouldn’t be allowed in any new state. Another believes it should be a state’s right to choose. A compromise is proposed: slavery will be allowed in Missouri and prohibited in Maine. Can you spot the problem with this compromise? Elizabeth Cox explores the middle ground fallacy.
Additional Resources for you to Explore
Watch episodes from TED-Ed’s Logical Fallacies series here to see if you can outsmart common fallacies!
The Missouri Compromise and the American Civil War shows us that the use of faulty logic or reasoning has the potential for centuries of devastating and enduring consequences. The stage was set for the Missouri Compromise long before 1820. The first enslaved Africans arrived in Jamestown, Virginia in 1619, more than 150 years before the Declaration of Independence, and over 240 years before the Emancipation Proclamation.
Pulitzer Prize winner, Nikole Hannah-Jones conceived The 1619 Project to chronicle the history of slavery, it’s continued impact on our culture, and to celebrate the role of formerly enslaved peoples in defining American democracy. Take a look at this short film to get an idea of how systematic fallacies can perpetuate centuries of oppression and affect all of our daily lives.
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Meet The Creators
- Educator Elizabeth Cox
- Director Hector Herrera, Pazit Cahlon
- Narrator Jack Cutmore-Scott
- Animator Hector Herrera
- Art Director Hector Herrera
- Storyboard Artist Pazit Cahlon
- Sound Designer Nick Sewell
- Music Massassauga
- Director of Production Gerta Xhelo
- Editorial Director Alex Rosenthal
- Producer Bethany Cutmore-Scott
- Editorial Producer Elizabeth Cox
- Content Associate Abdallah Ewis
- Special Thanks Alicia Lane