All residing U.S. presidents besides Trump have at the least one slaveholding ancestor
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All residing U.S. presidents besides Trump have at the least one slaveholding ancestor

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Every residing U.S. president, previous and current, has at the least one ancestor who owned slaves, with one exception — Donald Trump.

An investigation by Reuters launched Tuesday into the genealogies of “America’s political elite” discovered that President Joseph R. Biden and all former presidents nonetheless alive are direct descendants of slaveholders.

That consists of Democrats Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and even America’s first Black president, Barack Obama — by his White mom’s aspect — in addition to Republican George W. Bush.

The solely residing president not descended from slaveholders is the Republican Trump, whose mom Mary MacLeod was born in Scotland and married Frederick Trump, the son of a German immigrant.

“Trump’s ancestors came to America after slavery was abolished,” stated Reuters within the report, “America’s Family Secret.” 

The report additionally decided that at the least 100 members of Congress, 11 sitting governors, and two Supreme Court justices are descended from slaveholders.

“They include some of the most influential politicians in America: Republican senators Mitch McConnell, Lindsey Graham, Tom Cotton and James Lankford, and Democrats Elizabeth Warren, Tammy Duckworth, Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan,” stated the article.

It reveals for the primary time, in breadth and intimately, the extent of these leaders’ ancestral connections to what’s generally known as America’s “original sin.” And it explores what it might imply for them to study – in private, particular and typically graphic methods – the details behind their very own kin’s half in slavery.
 
Reuters stated its intensive investigation “reveals how intimately tied America remains to the institution of slavery,” however the report additionally got here throughout as an effort to disgrace politicians and justices for one thing over which they don’t have any management.

The article included bins highlighting Mr. Graham and Ms. Duckworth that displayed their images, the variety of slaves owned by their households, and the names of their ancestors. 

Mr. Graham’s workplace responded with a remark calling slavery America’s “original sin,” whereas Ms. Duckworth described the findings as “gut-wrenching.”

Mr. Biden, who was listed as having a direct ancestor who owned one slave, declined to remark, in accordance with Reuters.

Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr., who hosts the long-running family tree present “Finding Your Roots” on PBS, insisted that the investigation was “not another chapter in the blame game. We do not inherit guilt for our ancestors’ actions.”

“It’s just to say: Look at how closely linked we are to the institution of slavery, and how it informed the lives of the ancestors of people who represent us in the United States Congress today,” Mr. Gates stated. “This is a learning opportunity for each individual. It is also a learning opportunity for their constituency … and for the American people as a whole.”

The report comes amid a renewed curiosity amongst Democrats in offering taxpayer-funded reparations for Black Americans. A report by California’s reparations job drive calling for an estimated $800 million in reparations is anticipated to be launched Thursday.

Content Source: www.washingtontimes.com