SLIDESHOW: From The Slavehouse To The White House

News One:

Four hundred years ago the first African Americans were brought to this country as slaves. In 1819 slaves helped build the White House. There were three American Presidents who owned slaves. Today an African American is the president of the united states here is the journey of African Americans from the slavehouse to the White House.

Read the whole story: News One

Comments

[clsmithj]

I'm surprised there was no mention of Michael Jackson in that list.

[Ted LPD]

What is this? Obama was not a slave....

[fumes]

i went to college in the south and got involved in the civil rights movement when white teachers there walked off the job when their schools were integrated. i took over teaching a second grade class and heard the little white kids call the little black kids the same usual racist slurs that we're all familiar with. i asked the little white kids what they meant by those words and neither they nor the little black kids knew what they meant. ''mah diddy tol' me tah sey dat'' was always the response. that was 1968 ~ 9. i wonder what those kids are saying now and did my teaching them that that was wrong have a good effect?

[harriettubman]

Obama does not come from slave lineage. However, I do get the concept.

[marymansour]

Michelle Obama is probably a descendant of slaves.

[Patricia84]

Not probably. Surely. There was a post about that here and it was also pointed out how she went to Harvard just like her ancestors' owners.

[fumes]

harriettubman you made a very insightful post downthread: ''Many people who've been oppressed become the oppressor. Why I don't know. You'd think if you were treated wrong you'd turn around and not do that to someone else.'' this strange piece of human nature permeates society around the world and not just in the area of racism. bullies have been turning their victims into bullies for millennia. mothers bullying daughters, fathers bullying sons, just people bullying each other and as we've recently witnessed, nations bullying other nations. what's up with that?

[barackobama4prez]

enjoyed the slideshow. America: i can't believe we finally arrived at this moment.

[NewDayNow]

Wow! Long over due!! Still can't believe we did that! Another big step for man and woman kind!

Next up more Women, Hispanic, Asian and Openly' Gay Leaders!

[SonyaInTx]

Slaves built the White House. Fine.

Now president Obama will be there. Fine.

Hopefully we as a nation can put the slave days behind us once and for all....

[StillIRise]

I assume you'd also like to put the Holocaust behind us, once and for all too ... and all of the other tragedies that shaped our nation and the world and still impact the lives of many Americans today. But if it makes you uncomfortable to be reminded of these things, let's just not talk about it anymore! Let's pretend these things never happened!

[Haditup2here]

While we are at it why don't we forget about Hurricane Katrina and all of the innocent Iraqi men, women, and children who had their houses bombed.

You know it is such stupidity and ignorance such as this that has lead us to suffer the effects of NOT "one" but TWO terms of GW Bush -- and if it hadn't been for slave labor, the U.S. could have possibly been a 3rd world country.

[Dave01]

And would be today. I wonder if this person even knows where his cheap junk from China is made.

[Whinger]

Live the dream Barack..............

"Be the change you want to see in the world". Mahatma Gandhi (1869 - 1948)

[Gabrielle]

What a sad and depressing journey....Shame on white America.....

So great that things ARE changing.....Vive Barack Obama!

[jake106]

Oh, don't give me your B.S. about shame on white America. I can't take that crap anymore. I never owned any slaves, my family never did, I don't know anyone personally whose family did. It is IN THE PAST! We have moved on. Don't try to assign blame, or guilt, to me for something done by someone generations before I was even born.

[Klimb]

You are right...and generalizations continue to cause pain to all of us.

[honeydiva]

no we haven't and you screaming doesn't make it so.

[harriettubman]

Blame SHOULD be assigned to those who committed the atrocities and it was white Americans who did it from Slavery, Slaughter of Native Americans, Trail of Tears, Jim Crow, Segregation, Tuskegee Experiment and so much more. That's like deflecting blame away from Hitler by saying he didn't commit mass genocide with the Jews during the Holocaust. It happened and we know who did it. Today, there's not a state in this country where one can travel and you can't find any prejudiced white people. It's a generational curse that's been handed down thru the centures. However, there are good white people who've learned to overcome the bias their parents have ingrained in them.

[gi]

No! Shame on EUROPE!

[Lahonda]

With the inclusion of Colin Powell as a new plateau in historical black achievement I would say that Condoleezza Rice's appointments, were of true significance because of her being both black and a woman. I know that any slideshow of this nature would be incomplete in any regard, but her inclusion would be warranted.

[Dave01]

Totally agree!

[rogerse]

I can only imagine the delusional fools who vote based on skin color, these are the one's who are ruining society.

[Dave01]

Would you be talking about the 58 million who voted for McPalin?

[Lahonda]

...as well as the buffoons who think race is not a factor when it comes to getting a job, a grant or even a simple "hello" on the street.

[wantstotalk]

Terrific post on Obama's appointments and selections--including the Rick Warren invocation--in the LT, the new 24/7 Obama News Site (so cool!):

He Means It:

http://www.lipmantimes.com/?p=1146

[truthyguy]

This is a silly story. Obviously no one (except some extremists) still cares about gender, skin color or religion when determining who to vote for. All stories like this do is create controversy for controversy sake.

[You may begin writing all those nasty retorts now about how I don't understand the plight of . . .(fill in your group here)]

[edwarvir]

truthguy tell that to all of the GOOD OLE BOYS who
came to the mccain/palin rallies and YELLED KILL HIM.
RACISM is alive and well in this country. (by the way
that was just this past october and november 2008)

[MESGAIN26]

I THINK YOU MISSED THE POINT , ITS OUR HISTORY THAT BEING SAID WE MADE GREAT STRIDES BUT WE AS APEOPLE GOT A LONG WAY TO GO , Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great."

[Eyewideopen]

You are very silly (and naive) if you believe what you just posted. If you are unable to deal with the subject matter with any seriousness feel free not to comment.

[Eyewideopen]

BTW,

The majority of white voters voted for the WHITE GUY.

[Countdown09]

January 20th the page will have been turned on an ugly chapter in our country for that we should all be proud and grateful regardless to ones race.

[neesy08]

Firstly, Obama is NOT descended from slaves, Michelle is. Secondly, the American POTUS that owned slaves were Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe and Jackson. Thirdly, it is a pity it took this damn long for African-Americans to have a POTUS that resembles African-Americans! Imagine what this country has lost by this?

[ThoughtAboutIt]

Actually Obama is descended from slave owners on his mothers side. Odd but true. His heritage is rather different from the average black American. His father being from east Africa makes it less likely that he has even distant ancestors that were slaves.

[harriettubman]

That's true.

[xxnounxx]

Actually the obama family migrated to kenya
they are originally from ghana,west africa,the slave port,where most slaves where trasported to america.
so there is a 100% chance his ancestors cold have been slaves.

[StillIRise]

RESEMBLES African Americans? The last I heard - and what I heard from Barack as well - is that he IS an African American, probably more of an African American than many American blacks are, including myself.

Why is it so hard for some people to acknowledge that President-Elect Barack Hussein Obama is a black man - an African American?

Otherwise ... I agree with your post.

[harriettubman]

Because his mother is a white female. Sure he's physically seen as a black person but his lineage tells a different tale. Whereever a person feels accepted is the race they adopt. Obama found his identity in the black community during college.

[xxnounxx]

YOU MEAN HE IS A MULATTO
HALF AFRICAN-AMERICAN
AND HALF WHITE-AMERICAN
WHICH DOES NOT MAKE HIM BLACK..
I WISH PEOPLE WOULD AKNOWLEDGE THAT THE MAN HAD A WHITE MOTHER,LIVED NINE MONTHS IN A WHITE WOMANS WOMB,AND CARRIES HER DNA.