Staff Reports
In a recent study conducted by Reuters on America’s political elite, it was revealed that former President Donald John Trump is the only living President who does not have ancestors who owned black slaves. According to the report, “a fifth of the nation’s congressmen, living presidents, Supreme Court justices and governors are direct descendants of ancestors who enslaved Black people.”
The study found that current President Joe Biden and almost all other former American Presidents had black slaves in their ancestry, making Donald Trump the exception. The reason for this is that Trump’s ancestors immigrated to America after slavery was abolished, and they hailed from Germany. It’s worth noting that during the Civil War, a number of German ex-pats who had fled to America following the failed 1848 German revolution worked tirelessly to abolish slavery in the United States.
Reuters’ study also noted that in today’s political climate, Democrats are more likely to have slave owner ancestors than Republicans. The report found that “at least 8% of Democrats in the last Congress and 28% of Republicans have such ancestors.” The southern states have a particularly high concentration of such ancestry, which can be attributed to the fact that by the end of the 19th century, slave ownership had become a Southern institution.
While ancestry doesn’t necessarily implicate anyone in the sins of their ancestors, it is worth examining how deeply intertwined slavery is with America’s political history. America’s current political elite are directly descended from people who owned black slaves, and this fact speaks to the ongoing legacy of slavery in America.
In response to the study, Republican Representative Nancy Mace from South Carolina released a statement recognizing the role that slavery has played in America’s history, saying, “slavery was a stain on this country and we as Americans should be grateful for the progress we’ve made since the 1860s.”
It is important to note that it was the Republican party that led the way in the abolition of slavery, and it was that party that passed the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments to the US Constitution that effectively ended the practice and extended rights to the newly freed black population. Additionally, a higher percentage of Republican party members voted for the 1964 Civil Rights Act than Democrats did, which brought an end to racial segregation in public places.
REPORT: Trump Is The Only Living President Not Descending From Slave Ownershttps://t.co/SK16g4Ejua
— ????Josh Dunlap???? ULTRA-MAGA (@JDunlap1974) June 27, 2023
With this in mind, it’s worth recognizing that while America’s past is deeply intertwined with the institution of slavery, the Republican party has a strong history of advocating for the rights of marginalized groups, particularly black Americans. As the country continues to grapple with the legacy of slavery and systemic racism, it is important to acknowledge the progress that has been made while recognizing that there is more work to be done.
