African American Presidents
Historical Significance of Sen. Obama's Campaign for the Presidency
The article examines J. A. Rogers' Book, "The Five Negro Presidents" in relation to Senator Obama's Presidential Campaign
Senator Barack Obama may win the Democratic primaries and then run against the Republican candidate for the 2008 presidency. Many say that if Obama wins both races, he would become the first United States African American president. Interestingly, there is a book that has been in circulation since the 1960s entitled The Five Negro Presidents U.S.A written by J. A. Rogers. It is a mostly unknown book with only 19 pages. Hardly anyone discusses it, not even many of those who celebrate African American History Month every February.
Four Previous Presidents of Mixed Ancestry
In Rogers’ book, he presents evidence that there were four African American presidents of mixed ancestry like Obama. The four presidents are: Thomas Jefferson, Andrew Jackson, Abraham Lincoln and Warren G. Harding. Rogers says that there was a fifth one he could not prove through published or unpublished materials, so he chose to keep him anonymous. On the cover of his book is a picture of Harding, who resembles a person of European ancestry. Underneath Harding’s picture is one of his paternal Grand-Uncle Oliver Harding, who looks like a person of African ancestry.
One of Rogers’ underlying themes is that these presidents avoided or went beyond the race issue when they campaigned. For example, he indicates that during Lincoln’s 1860 campaign under the then recently formed Republican Party (1854), his opponents, mainly southern racists, frequently called him “Abraham Africanus” among other things. They always tried to force him to publicly admit his African heritage. Lincoln never acknowledged their accusations.
In fact, the major message of Lincoln’s campaign was “Free soil,” not the race or slavery issue. He focused on protecting the rights of individuals who chose to make a living on America’s newly acquired western territories taken from Mexico after the Mexican/American War (1846 – 1848). Although much of Lincoln’s campaign rhetoric was assuring the South that he would allow slavery to continue, his name did not appear on any southern ballets during the 1860 presidential elections (Boyer et al 429). He won the presidency anyway, but after the elections, the South left the United States to form the Confederate States of America. Although most American historians say that southerners seceded because they did not trust a northerner (Illinois) as president, it appears they may have left because they believed Lincoln was African American and would end slavery and the suffering of his brethren.
According to Rogers, democratic opponents put out reports that Warren G. Harding was of African ancestry during his campaign. They claimed that Harding’s father, George Tryon Harding, was a “mulatto,” describing him as having thick lips and dark skin. Harding’s mother was White. Harding neither addressed the charges nor did he say anything about “race” while campaigning. Rogers makes similar claims about the other two presidents, Thomas Jefferson and Andrew Jackson.
Senator Obama's Non-Race Strategy
It is not clear if Senator Obama understands this historical trend, but it seems that he is right on target by trying to avoid or go beyond the race issue. Unlike Harding, Lincoln and the others, Obama had to discuss the race issue after comments from Rev. Jeremiah Wright. However, his basic strategy to leave race alone falls in line with the American historical precedent that an African American can win the presidency without addressing the explosive issue.
There are a certain amount of white voters and voters of other ethnic groups who will not vote for Senator Obama even if he assures them that he will work in their best interests. Lincoln tried to get southern votes when he told the racists there that he would continue slavery, but they still did not vote for him. It would be more than interesting to hear an African American candidate address the race problem, but the American trend indicates that Obama has applied the correct strategy in his attempt to become president.
Sources
Boyer, Clark, Kett, Salisbury, Sitkoff, Woloch. The Enduring Vision –
A History of the American People. Boston/New York: Houghton
Mifflin Company, 2004.
Rogers, J. A. The Five Negro Presidents U. S. A. St. Petersburg, Florida:
Helga M. Rogers, 1965.
