was president Abraham Lincoln an african _american?

Question

I can not believe this great man was african and I would be very sad if he was african _american though I ,myself,am not american.

Answer 1

Are you some sort of bigot or something?!?!

What on earth would cause you to make such an
ignorant and offensive statement as the following:

"I can not believe this great man was african and
I would be very sad if he was african _american ... "

.

Answer 2

I am the least racist white person you'll find but the fact is

America has never had a president that wasn't a caucasian male.

Hopefully that will change with the Election of 08. Chances are good that we could have an African-American man or a white woman. I think either of those would set a great precident for women and minorities having the same ability as white men to achieve the presidency!

Answer 3

First of all the "Africans" of those days are todays African Americans. Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson, Andrew Jackson,Warren Harding, and Calvin Coolidge all had traces African American ancestry. Harding having the most. If it makes you feel sad too bad because in 2009 well have a noticably black president and he will make us proud.

http://www.computerhealth.org/ebook/5blkpres.htm

Answer 4

> was president Abraham Lincoln an african _american?

Who says so?

> I would be very sad if he was african _american

Why? What difference would it make if one of his ancestors would have been African-American?

Answer 5

President Obama is the 1st African-American president. His father grew to become right into a black Kenyan and his mom grew to become right into a white woman from Kansas. He himself identifies as black, yet he's technically biracial. Abraham Lincoln grew to become into white, yet he did a extensive volume to assist African-American slaves throughout the time of his presidency - like freeing them.

Answer 6

No, he wasn't African-American, but because of his leadership during the American Civil War, and the Emancipation Proclamation which he authored, African-Americans have had a high regard for Lincoln.

Answer 7

No. Back then attitudes were much different. Slavery existed and, unfortunately, black people were considered property. If Abraham Lincoln had been black he could never have become president. In addition, he married Mary Todd, who was from the south. It's hardly likely she would have married a black man.

Answer 8

I totally don't get this question.
Are you saying you are a racist??
Why would this make you sad??
What ethnic background would
you prefer him to be??
Maybe you should get a good
American History book.
There has never been a
Black American President.
But stay tuned...
The election isn't over yet.

Answer 9

Whenever you run into surprising historical "facts," you will most benefit by learning how to check those "facts." This can be quite challenging, and this IS sad.

Modern textbooks tend to leave out details that are not "politically correct," and this in itself twists the historical message.

I recommend that when you run into a historical conflict, you dig for information from more than one source and from more than one published generation. Check published resources that date 1975 or prior with the ones that you see today. Find the "missing details," and then research them. This will help you put the puzzle pieces together.

In answer to your specific question, here is a reliable source: http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/al16.html

Here are your clues (the first from Lincoln himself):

1. "My parents were both born in Virginia, of undistinguished families--second families, perhaps I should say." -- A "second family," that can be referred to as an "undistinguished family" was derived from the second generation of "distinguished families." These were the grandchildren of second and third sons of aristrocratic families. These grandchildren were born Americans, stripping them of their aristrocratic rank and file, making them "undistinguished," which means average American. In Lincoln's day, African people were not considered Americans at all, leave alone "average Americans."

2. "He married Mary Todd, and they had four boys, only one of whom lived to maturity." Had Abraham Lincoln been part African, there would have been much controversy about his sons. There was none. Besides, the Todd family would not have approved of the marriage had there been even a hint of suspicion with regard to his race.

3. "In 1858 Lincoln ran against Stephen A. Douglas for Senator. He lost the election, but in debating with Douglas he gained a national reputation that won him the Republican nomination for President in 1860." According to Republicans who tried to unseat Hiram Revels, the first black Senator in the U.S. (Feb. 25, 1870), blacks had only become citizens with the passage of the 1866 Civil Rights Act, a full eight years AFTER Lincoln's run for office. The excuse for attempting to unseat Revels was that he had not been a U.S. citizen for the required nine years. Since Revels was elected in 1870, this would have put him four years in arrears of this requirement. It stands to reason, therefore, that had Abraham Lincoln been an African himself, or even if there had been a suspicion that he was part black, he would have been stopped before he even had a chance to get started, since his run for office was eight years PRIOR to the 1866 Civil Rights Act, not four years shy of the nine-year qualification AFTER the Civil Rights Act had been passed. As shown by the attempt to unseat Revels due to his race, it would be extremely unlikely for Lincoln to have "gained a national reputation that won him the Republican nomination for President in 1860." Source for this information is: http://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/minute/First_African_American_Senator.htm

There are more clues, but this gives you an idea of how one can unscramble any conflicting "historical facts" that do crop up from time to time. Balance the evidence of irrefutable, especially documented criteria, and you can find the truth in the muddle.

It would be interesting to know where you got the idea that Lincoln was African in the first place.

Best wishes in your studies!

Answer 10

I'm afraid I don't understand your question. No he was not African_American, but why would it make you sad if he was? He was an American though. Born in Kentucky.