It appears that founding father Madison had an interracial child by one of his slaves, was he a "conservative"

Question

History is always interesting! A new twist to a founding father, perhaps...

By Kyle Alspach, Globe Correspondent | July 22, 2007

DOVER -- Bettye Kearse's ancestors had ties to President James Madison -- they were slaves owned by the Madison family. But she thinks there's more to the story.

She says that Madison fathered a child by one of those slaves, producing her family line.

Her assertion is a matter of much debate, and proof hasn't been found. Kearse, 64, of Dover, still believes it, certain there's truth in a story that has become part of her family's lore.

"It's been passed down from generation to generation, from parent to child," said Kearse, a pediatrician who works at Neponset Health Center in Dorchester and has lived in Dover since 1983. "We have a saying in our family: 'Always remember, you're a Madison.' "

Now she hopes that a team of researchers will help her prove a link between her family and the nation's fourth president.

Answer 1

Hi....I heard the same story and it could possibly be true. Who are we to determine whether it's truth or fiction. I would assume that quite a lot of 'hanky panky' went on back in those days and the possibility of having a slave as a mistress. It wasn't that uncommon. I have heard the same about George Washington and Thomas Jefferson but who really knows for sure unless one can determine ones heritage through DNA testing. After the Civil War a lot of the slaves that had been freed and were given land took the last name of their master. This wasn't uncommon either. So who knows, she might be related to President Madison. And if so, her heritage will grow even more. Have a great day!

Answer 2

what does it matter? 1) At this point there is no evidence to suggest any validity to the story. 2) If it is proven to be accurate then it is not a great suprise, many slaveholders had sex with their slaves and birth control was non-existant in those days. That was within their rights as the defacto owners of the slaves. It isnt right by our standards, but it was legal at the time. 3) Sexual indiscretion is a behavior found in all political parties. It isnt the pervue of liberals or conservatives, it is merely the mark of a flawed human being. and so ends another useless Ad Hominem attack on conservatives.

Answer 3

While the modern 'conservative' and 'liberal' labels don't really aply to the founding fathers - think about it, they were revolutionaries, that's /radical/, not merely con or lib - if one were to aply the norms of those two ideaologies to the situation, one might conclude "conservative."

The rationale is that a liberal would acknowledge an interracial child, while a conservative would keep it quiet, and the latter is what appears to have happened.

Answer 4

i'm an atheist. it does not complication me yet i decide directly to no longer stand and pledge a oath with my friends agreeing that our u . s . a . is god's u . s . a .. you're so very incorrect approximately our founding fathers having discovered this u . s . a . under christianity nevertheless, in certainty all our founding fathers believes that faith (it particularly is composed of christianity) grew to become into the very worst area of base a rustic off of and agreed that it may be the main unfavourable ingredient in our society particularly than one that could unite us. and as you will discover they have been suitable. with the help of no potential has faith helped us progression as a rustic, it has basically acted as a obstacle to rational thinking and technology. "Lighthouses are greater useful then church homes." — Benjamin Franklin "this can be the main suitable of all achievable worlds, if there have been no faith in it." - John Adams "Christianity is the main perverted gadget that ever shone on guy." - Thomas Jefferson "Religions are all alike - based upon fables and mythologies. - Thomas Jefferson "Believing with you that faith is a controversy which lies fullyyt between guy and his God, that he owes account to none different for his faith or his worship, that the legislative powers of government attain strikes basically, and not critiques, I evaluate with sovereign reverence that act of the full American human beings which declared that their legislature ought to 'make no regulation respecting an organisation of religion, or prohibiting the loose workout thereof,' subsequently construction a wall of separation between church and State." ---Thomas Jefferson The Bible is a e book that has been study greater, and examined much less, than any e book that ever existed. - Thomas Paine additionally the stages "One u . s . a . under god" and the exchange to our forex have been the two ADDITIONS in the 50's during the chilly conflict. by some potential our u . s . a . grew to become into confident that the only thank you to try against the godless heathens in the east (communists) grew to become into to % out our u . s . a . with god and to teach that god grew to become into on our area of this conflict. our legislature on the time desperate the main suitable thank you to try this grew to become into to make those additions. this grew to become into an act pushed basically with the help of worry and lack of awareness. attempt to no longer permit what you suspect in overshadow certainty.

Answer 5

This is nothing new for pathetic, middle-aged white men.

It was common then for slave owners to take sexual advantage of their slaves, and noone could say a word about it, not even their wives.

Answer 6

Washington, Franklin, Jefferson, Helms (not his slave, oops).

What's one more in the mix?

Answer 7

No proof. Also, could he have been raped by one of the black women?

Answer 8

the article states that there is no proof.

Answer 9

Leave the dead alone.

It's pathetic .