David Barton Still Leading Capitol Tour Deleted by Family Research Council in 2013

YouTube video of the tour so error-filled, FRC leader deleted a version of it

For a short time during several months between 2012 and 2013, there was a reality check among right-wing advocacy organizations. In August, 2012, David Barton’s book The Jefferson Lies was pulled from publication by Christian publisher Thomas Nelson. Then in May, 2013, Family Research Council V.P. Kenyn Cureton removed a video from his account which featured David Barton leading a tour of the U.S. Capitol. Cureton did this after 33 Christian historians and social scientists approached him with a summary of historical errors in the very short video. The evidence was so overwhelming that he and FRC responded appropriately — at least for a short time.

I thought of this episode when I saw a report from a legal group called First Liberty. Kelly Shackleford reported that they had met Mike Johnson in Statuary Hall of the Capitol and had prayer with him. The night before, David Barton had led the First Liberty group in a tour of the Capitol. In the picture below, you can see Kelly Shackleford, along with David Barton standing next to Speaker Mike Johnson.

Here’s the backstory on David Barton and the Capitol tour video.

In 2012, I started critiquing some of the claims Barton made in a video summarizing a much longer tour of the Capitol sponsored by Family Research Council. In August, 2012, Barton’s book on Jefferson was pulled by Christian publisher Thomas Nelson due to historical errors, many of which were exposed in my book with Michael Coulter, Getting Jefferson Right (did I mention there is a brand new second edition out right now?). When Barton’s book was pulled, some Christian organizations started to get nervous about using Barton’s materials. One of those organizations was Family Research Council.

However, typical for advocacy organizations, handwringing stays behind the scenes and even though FRC leaders knew there were significant questions about the accuracy of Barton’s claims in the Capitol tour, they did nothing about it. This stance changed, however, after 33 social scientists and historians signed a letter of concern and submitted a summary of evidence documenting multiple historical errors in Barton’s Capitol tour. I have provided that paper below at the end of this post.

Here is the letter that went to Tony Perkins and staff at FRC on April 23, 2012:

Dear Tony Perkins, Kenyn Cureton, & J.P. Duffy:

 Knowing of your desire to offer truthful and accurate information to the public, we the undersigned Christian historians, and social scientists request that you remove the video titled “U.S. Capitol Tour with David Barton” at this URL ( ) from YouTube. There are many factual errors on this video which we detail in the attached summary. Given that the video has been viewed over 4 million times, it seems that the errors have been compounded among Christians who trust FRC for accurate information. Furthermore, it is apparent that pastors who go on the tour are learning false and misleading information.

We can provide complete documentation for everything we present here. Given that these claims are highlighted in the video but easily disproved, we believe these errors are enough to warrant the removal of the video with appropriate explanation.

We would be happy to discuss this matter further and hope that we can count on you to represent historical facts accurately. We also ask that you let Michael Coulter know that you received this note and attachment. Please direct communication on this matter to Dr. Coulter.

(We promised privacy to the signers and I have not had time to get releases from all of them to disclose their names so for the time being I won’t do so.)

On April 24, Kenyn Cureton replied and said FRC was “well aware of the historical problems with” the video. Jay Richards and Cureton had met with David Barton to discuss those problems, among other issues, in August of 2012. Barton promised in that meeting that he would edit the video to make it accurate. However, in the nine months since that meeting, he had not done so. In the reply from FRC, there was no commitment to remove the video or educate the public.

The academic group wrote back with the following:

Thank you for your prompt response of April 24. We are pleased that you recognize the errors in the Capitol tour video. We were also glad to know that you have spoken to David Barton about these errors.

However, the consensus of the signers is to respectfully suggest that FRC's approach to the matter does not address the central concerns.

In speaking with Jay Richards, it was learned that the meeting with Barton, Richards and you took place in August 2012. It seems to us that nine months is much more than enough time to correct these errors. In the meantime, thousands of viewers have been misled and are now ill-prepared to defend their beliefs and advocate truthfully for religious liberty. Every day that the video is left up is one day too many.

We also are aware that Mr. Barton continues to promote the same errors in his speeches since the August meeting as he does on the video. See this link to his statements in the Founder's Bible (http://wthrockmorton.com/2012/10/david-bartons-founders-bible-is-wrong-about-the-aitken-bible/) and at the Montana Governors Prayer Breakfast (http://helenair.com/news/local/return-to-god-called-for-at-prayer-breakfast/article_8d92d5e6-838e-11e2-9cc8-0019bb2963f4.html). These ongoing errors make us less than confident that FRC will get a corrected video which address the problems we identified.

We continue to urge you to remove the video from YouTube and replace it with a message that the video is being revised or replaced due to errors in the content. A responsible course would be to stop the misinformation and replace it with a correction.

Thanks again for engaging in discussion with us about this and we look forward to a positive resolution.

On May 6, Cureton wrote back with a brief note:

Until a corrected video can be vetted and posted, we have opted to take the video offline (private) so that no one else sees the erroneous material.

As soon as we have something from David, I will let you know.  In the meantime, I will review the links you forwarded.

On May 7, I posted a notice of this on my blog. I thought we were getting somewhere. However, just taking the video down wasn’t enough in my view. FRC had (and still has) a responsibility to correct the errors they knew about (and still know about over a decade later). As subsequent events demonstrated, FRC’s plan was for the corrections to be made as quietly as possible.

In mid-June of 2013, without any notice to the public or correction on the website, Barton made changes to the audio of the video. He never publicly acknowledged the errors, he simply changed a few of the problems, leaving some errors unchanged. We alerted FRC to the remaining problems, but as far as I know, these problems were never corrected. This second video is still up and Barton was back leading tours for FRC in 2014. And, as we see from this recent First Liberty report, Barton is still leading Capitol tours.

I recently spoke with a former employee of FRC who told me that the Capitol tours were often used for fund raising purposes. Barton was brought in by FRC to impress high dollar donors who received special tours. It seemed clear to me that FRC did not want to alienate Barton, and they were very reluctant to remove the video or do anything to make the public aware that there was a problem. In 2012-2013, there was a window of time when some openness to correction was in play. But that window did not stay open very long.

After it was clear to me that FRC was not going to alert its constituents that the video had been removed due to historical errors, I wrote Kenyn Cureton and asked why. We had a lengthy email exchange which boiled down to this: Barton had more supporters than I did, so keeping the errors quiet was how they were going to proceed. In fact, Cureton said, “David has a lot more ‘followers’ than you or I will ever have.”

There is a cognitive dissonance for many people working in evangelical advocacy organizations. This story illustrates that. I believe some at FRC wanted to promote a true rendering of the stories being covered in the Capitol tour. However, when it came down to a decision about what to tell the public, silence won out. Silence seemed to be more helpful to their cause. Don’t let anybody kid you, there is a conspiracy of silence when it comes to Christian nationalist folklore. Many of the leaders of Christian organizations know that many of the Christian nationalist stories aren’t accurate history. But they also know that a true rendering of events doesn’t bring in donations or followers. Thus, the temptation to stay silent seems irresistible.

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Errors in the Capitol Tour video – Summary

In the YouTube video titled “U.S. Capitol Tour with David Barton,”[1] David Barton makes historical claims which do not hold up to objective scrutiny. This summary begins with the most problematic claims and then addresses less troublesome claims in light of the entire video presentation. For the reasons below, we ask that you consider removing the video from YouTube, and consider another means of providing information regarding the nation’s founding to your constituents.

Aitken Bible

Barton says Congress printed the first English Bible printed in America and that it was done for the use of schools. FRC’s caption on the screen says “1^st Bible printed in America by U.S. Congress for public schools.”

This is completely false. Robert Aitken printed the Bible in question and nearly had completed this job when he petitioned Congress to become the official Bible printer of the United States. In Aitken’s petition, he said the Bible he had printed was a “neat edition of the Holy Scriptures for the use of schools.” However, Congress did not include that phrase in any of their descriptions of Aitken’s Bible. The chaplains of Congress read through the Bible and commended Aitken for his accuracy and then Congress offered this resolution:

Resolved: That the United States in Congress assembled, highly approve the pious and laudable undertaking of Mr. Aitken, as subservient to the interest of religion as well as an instance of the progress of the arts in this country, and being satisfied from the above report, of his care and accuracy in the execution of the work they recommend this edition of the Bible to the inhabitants of the United States and hereby authorize him to publish this recommendation in the manner he shall think proper (p. 574, Journals of Congress, September 12, 1782).

There is no slant on this resolution that can be construed to mean “1^st Bible printed in America by U.S. Congress for public schools.”

The signers of the Declaration

Barton says out of the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence, 29 had bible school or seminary degrees. No further explanation is given on this video.

Barton has not provided any evidence for this claim that we can find. Elsewhere, he puts the number of signers having seminary or Bible school degrees at 24.[2] In fact, 29 signers had been to college but the first theological seminary in the United States was founded in 1807 at Andover, MA, long after the Declaration of Independence was signed. Webster’s 1828 edition of the dictionary defines seminary as “a place of education; any school, academy, college or university, in which young persons are instructed in the several branches of learning which may qualify them for future employments.”[3]  Note that there was no distinctly religious connotation to the term at that time. While the most prominent colleges were founded by church denominations, by the time the founders attended, they also had other courses of study (e.g., law, merchants) and were not known as “Bible schools.” Of the 56 signers, only John Witherspoon was a minister. Three others had some ministry training but for one reason or another did not enter or remain in ministry. This claim is a seriously misleading statement which leads people to believe 29 of the signers were trained as ministers, apparently taking advantage of the fact that most people don’t know what seminary meant during the founding era.

About Jefferson and the Kaskaskia Indians, Barton says “Most people have no clue that Thomas Jefferson in 1803 negotiated a treaty with the Kaskaskia Indians in which Jefferson put federal funds to pay for missionaries to go evangelize the Indians and gave federal funds so that after they were converted we’d build them a church in which they could worship.”

This description is misleading in that most listeners would assume that Jefferson decided to use federal funds to initiate a clearly religious activity. However, in fact, the Kaskaskia traded most of central Illinois to get temporary funding to help pay their existing priest and build them a new church. The Kaskaskia requested the funding because they were already attached to the Catholic Church. Barton’s narrative sets up a misleading sequence of events. First, according to Barton’s narrative, Jefferson paid missionaries to evangelize the Indians. Then, after they converted to Christianity, funds were made available to build them a church.  However, here is what really happened: The Kaskaskia had land to trade and they wanted help to maintain their loyalties to the Catholic Church as one component of the transaction. Jefferson, having authorized trading houses to get the Indians in debt, readily agreed to the land deal.

Jefferson and church in the Capitol

Barton says the Capitol was used as a church and at 6:50 into the clip adds, “Most people have no clue that Jefferson started a church in the Capitol that went for a century.”

While it is true that the Capitol was used by the chaplains to hold divine services, there was no recorded involvement of Jefferson or the Senate to bring this about. Jefferson was vice-president at the time but he had no role in starting the practice of holding services. On December 4, 1800, the chaplains asked the House members if they had objection, and since no objection was recorded, the chaplains proceeded with their plans. Although he did attend the services at times, Jefferson had no part in establishing the church services. Also, it is misleading to describe these events as “a megachurch” (video caption - “The U.S. Capitol, America's 1st Megachurch”) because there was no membership or church structure in place.

Barton says Jefferson ordered the Marine Band to play for the services.

The Marine Band did play at times at the Capitol but there is no record that Jefferson ordered them to do so. The chaplains were in charge and may have asked them to play. However, the playing was not generally well received and the practice was discontinued.

Other misleading elements of the video.

The following concerns relate to Barton’s statements and descriptions which contain truth but are spun in such a way as to be misleading of the meaning of the events.

Barton says in 1830 Congress wanted the Christian history told via paintings in the Capitol Rotunda.

We know of no record of Congress declaring the paintings to depict Christian history. Rather, Congress requested paintings of several important events in the nation’s founding.  The paintings are as described by Barton but there are other paintings in the Rotunda of a non-religious nature. One, the Apotheosis of George Washington depicts Greek and Roman gods along with Washington who is depicted in a god-like fashion.

While the paintings obviously depict certain events, Barton’s narrative glosses over the complexity of those events. Depicting them as a Bible study, Baptism and a prayer meeting does not convey the history accurately. When Columbus landed in San Salvador, he may have prayed, but then he also enslaved the natives in the name of Christianity. Pocahontas was being held hostage by the English when she converted and was baptized. Any honest religious and historical interpretation of these events will take account of these complexities.

Barton says there is nothing secular about the Capitol building.

The name Capitol comes from the Roman Capitolium which was a place of worship for the Roman gods. The structure of the building is a mix of classical architecture. The Senate was borrowed from Rome. We mentioned the Apotheosis of George Washington which clearly was influenced by the classics. While these are not necessarily secular, they are not Christian. Barton’s presentation in general paints a picture of a thoroughly evangelical (in today’s understanding of that term) group of men who established a thoroughly Christian government. However, many of the founders were influenced by classical training and writers which carried over into the architecture and founding documents of the nation.

Other concerns in the context of the entire video

While the concerns we have here may seem minor, in the context of the other problems, they point to a general tendency to misinform listeners.

Barton says President Garfield was a minister during the 2^nd Great Awakening and that one-fourth of the statues were ministers.

There are eleven statues/busts in the Rotunda, if you count Garfield, and add Martin Luther King, there are two of eleven who were ministers. Counting Garfield is certainly debatable. Although he was ordained to be a minister in the Disciples church, Garfield chose to study law and pursue politics while a young man. This decision was especially significant because his church disapproved of his selected profession, which they viewed as “carnal activity.”  Furthermore, Garfield believed he should not mix politics and religion and refrained from religious activity when he entered political life.

Garfield’s military and presidential careers have not been overemphasized to neglect his ministerial pursuits; his life has simply been portrayed according to the amount of time he devoted to various endeavors and achievements. While it is true that most people would consider Garfield a president or a military commander over a minister, this is simply because he devoted the better portion of his life to these offices. It is hardly unreasonable to refer to someone by their most significant, historical achievements. Calling Garfield’s ministerial stint “a typical presidential activity” does not follow in light Garfield’s short ministerial but long political careers.  

Furthermore, it is misleading for Barton to say that Garfield was a minister during the Second Great Awakening.  Garfield engaged in ministry in his twenties from 1856 to 1861. Most historians peg the end of the Second Great Awakening as being during the 1840s when Garfield was still a youth (b. 1831).

Conclusion

In conclusion, repeating claims that can be easily debunked leads to a loss in credibility and effective communication on matters of importance. The first goal of a Christian scholar is to get the facts right and this presentation does not meet that standard. For the reasons cited, we urge the Family Research Council to remove the YouTube video titled, “U.S. Capitol Tour with David Barton.” The 4 million views represent many people who have been misinformed and are now ill-prepared to engage in debate to defend religious liberty and the Christian faith.

April, 2013

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[1] The video is still private on Kenyn Cureton’s account, but it has been posted on several other YouTube accounts (see below):

retrieved April 2, 2013 (and again on Nov. 17, 2023)

[2] http://www.wallbuilders.com/libissuesarticles.asp?id=100 retrieved April 2, 2013.

[3]

http://machaut.uchicago.edu/?resource=Webster%27s&word=seminary&use1828=on

retrieved on April 2, 2013.