Were any US Presidents of black ancestry?

Answer 1

According to J.A. Rogers, there are five, Thomas Jefferson, Calvin Coolidge, Andrew Jackson, Warren G. Harding, and Abraham Lincoln, as chronicled in his book Five Negro Presidents. Dr. Leroy Vaughn, makes the same case in his book, Black People and Their Place in World History. Auset Bakhufu adds Dwight Eisenhower to the list in his book, Six Black Presidents: Black Blood : White Masks. It seems that even in their day, there was controversy over the ancestry of these Presidents. Harding did not deny his African ancestry when Republican leaders called on him to deny his "Negro" history, he said, "How should I know whether or not one of my ancestors might have jumped the fence." Some today feel that African ancestry does not make these men black. However, the one-drop rule, a historical colloquial term used in the United States during the Jim Crow era, holds that a person with one drop or any trace of sub-Saharan ancestry (however small or invisible) cannot be considered white, and therefore must be considered black. So, by this estimation, America has indeed had black Presidents. Take a look at the websites below. They offer more insight into the issue. http://indisputabletruth.wordpress.com/2007/12/18/research-shows-that-we-have-had-5-black-presidents-in-our-history/

http://www.geocities.com/cureworks1/5blkpres.htm http://www.computerhealth.org/ebook/5blkpres.htm There is no "one drop rule" in an absolute sense. It depends on self-policing. Latinos and Arabs are almost all of partial "black" ancestry and very few of them identify as "black." The promoters of the "one drop" myth take pains to ignore the black ancestry of Latinos and Arabs plus the fact that no one today is penalized for claiming their white ancestry and identity despite the traditional "taint" of so-called "black blood." If the "one drop" myth had been truly enforced, one third of the white population and nearly all of the Latino and Arab-American populations would have been labeled "black." The "one drop" myth was intended to frighten whites into supporting Jim Crow. More on white identity combined with partial black ancestry: http://www.scholarspublishing.com/ http://backintyme.com/ad230.php http://backintyme.com/ad222.php

Answer 2

Yes, there were 5 (and some think 7) former presidents that were 1/2 black. Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson, Calvin Coolidge, Andrew Jackson, and Warren Harding. Dwight D Eisenhowers mother was 1/2 black (making him 1/4 black).

John Hanson (a Moor) was actually the 1st President of the United States, he served from 1781 - 1782 and he was black. The new country was actually formed on March 1, 1781 with the adoption of The Articles of Confederation. This document was actually proposed on June 11, 1776, but not agreed upon by Congress until November 15, 1777. Maryland refused to sign this document until Virginia and New York ceded their western lands (Maryland was afraid that these states would gain too much power in the new government from such large amounts of land).

Once the signing took place in 1781, a President was needed to run the country. John Hanson was chosen unanimously by Congress (which included George Washington). In fact, all the other potential candidates refused to run against him, as he was a major player in the revolution and an extremely influential member of Congress.

As President, Hanson ordered all foreign troops off American soil, as well as removal of all foreign flags. He established the Great Seal of the United States, which all Presidents since have been required to use on all Official Documents. He declared that the 4th Thursday of every November to be Thanksgiving Day, which is still true today. Even though elected, one variable that was never thought through was that America was not going to accept a Black President during the heart of the enslavement period.

Enter George Washington.

While this folk lore has taken on a life of its own , in reality the black John Hanson was a senator, and not the John Hanson that was the "first " President of the Continental Congress.[

Answer 3

Interesting question. In fact many Presidents MAY have had some black heritage.

The first was Thomas Jefferson who claimed a heritage of an Indian mother and a Mulatto Father.

The second in line would be Andrew Jackson according to a renowned American historian J. A. Rogers. Jackson's mother married a negro slave that became his father. His younger brother was later sold into slavery.

Third in line would be Abraham Lincoln, the nation's 16th president. He served between 1861 and 1865. Another author: Vaughn, stated Lincoln had very dark skin and coarse hair and his mother allegedly came from an Ethiopian tribe.

Fourth would be Warren Harding, the 29th president. He never denied his ancestry that we are aware of. Evidently, Harding had black ancestors between both sets of parents. He also attended Iberia College, a school founded to educate fugitive slaves.

Yet another President may have had some black heritage. Calvin Coolidge, claimed his mother was dark because of mixed Indian ancestry. The idea is disputed by Auset Bakhufu, who said in her book that by the 1800s, the New England Indians hardly were pure Indian, because they had mixed so often with blacks. Coolidge's mother's maiden name was "Moor" and in Europe the name "Moor" was given to all blacks just as "Negro" was used in America.

Sixth on our list is Dwight David Eisenhower who served from 1953 to 1961, the 34th president. Eisenhower's mother, Ida Elizabeth Stover was a mullato woman making Eisenhower part black

Last on the list is our current President that is mixed race. Barrack Hussein Obama has a black father.

Answer 4

Only Barack Obama so far. His Mother was Caucasian and his father was a Kenyan from Africa.

There are unverified claims that other presidents had some African ancestry.

Thomas Jeffersonwas accused of having a half Indian mother andmulattofather by some political opponents. Contemporary descriptions of his family do not support this as his mother is described as being from a prominent family (which would not have allow a half Indian) and his father as Welsh.

Andrew Jacksonwas said to have had a black father and had his brother sold into slavery. Scholars agree that his father was Irish and that he had no black ancestry.

Abraham Lincolnwas noted to have dark skin and so his ancestry was questioned by his contemporaries. There is some question as to the identity of his father and maternal grandfather so it is possible he had some African ancestry but this has never been confirmed by a reliable scholar.

Warren Hardingwas accused of having a black grandfather or great grandfather by some political opponents. Harding tended to deflect questions about the veracity of this. Historians doubt these claims as the people making them generally were known to frequently make racist charges that were not true against their political opponents.

Calvin Coolidgewas said to be part African because his mother's last name was Moor, meaning black. This term can also mean bog and it is a common English, Scotch and Irish surname. Coolidge did say that his mother may have had some Indian ancestry.

Dwight E. Eisenhoweris said by some to have had two parents with African ancestry. It is well established that Eisenhower's parents arrives in the US in 1741, settled in Pennsylvania and then Migrated to Kansas and were of German, Swiss and English ancestry.

Answer 5

Obama did. Other than that I don't think so.

Answer 6

Bill Clinton