P.T. Barnum Was a Slave Owner and Cruel to Animals
The 2017 musical The Greatest Showman depicted the life of P.T. Barnum, one of the famous founders of the Barnum and Bailey Circus. In reality, Barnum was a very controversial person. One of the first things that people condemn him for is that he got his start in show business from buying a slave named Joice Heth. She was conveniently left out of the movie. He was also the first circus owner to introduce the bull hook to hurt elephants, making them obey their human master. They also jammed hot pokers up an elephant’s trunk. He also exploited people with disabilities for profit in his “freak” shows.
