A recent report from Reuters revealed that all living former U.S. presidents, besides former President Donald Trump but including President Joe Biden, had at least one ancestor who owned slaves.
Reuters analyzed the family trees of prominent American politicians, such as former and current presidents, governors, members of Congress, and the Supreme Court. The analysis revealed that out of the 536 members of the last Congress, at least 100 have ancestors who enslaved Black people. This accounts for approximately 8 percent of Democrats and 28 percent of Republicans in Congress.
Additionally, more than a quarter (28 members) of the Senate can trace their family lineage to a slave owner, including Republican Senators Tom Cotton (Ark.), Mitch McConnell (KY.), Lindsey Graham (S.C.), and James Lankford (Okla.), and Democratic Senators Tammy Duckworth (Ill.), Elizabeth Warren (Mass.), Jeanne Shaheen (N.H.), and Maggie Hassan (N.H.).
Of all the former U.S. presidents, Trump is the only one whose ancestors did not own slaves. On the other hand, Jimmy Carter, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama all have ancestors who were slaveholders.
In 2022, eleven governors were descendants of slaveholders, and two U.S. Supreme Court justices also had this ancestry.
Before the Civil War, the congressional ancestors who owned slaves were some of the wealthiest individuals in America. In fact, 75 percent were among the top 10 percent wealthiest people.
During Reuters research on America’s political elite, the organization discovered the names of over 700 individuals who the ancestors of these leaders once enslaved.
According to a recent Reuters/Ipsos poll, 23 percent of participants would be less likely to vote for a candidate if they knew their ancestors had been involved in enslaving people. Additionally, white individuals who were aware of having a slaveholding ancestor were more inclined to support reparations for slavery than other white individuals.
