Not racist..Just curious..?

Question

Why alot of African Americans I come across hate republicans? Abe Lincoln was a republican president-and he helped abolish slavery..This question is stemming from a comment I heard someone make about how they were voting for Obama because he's black..Also, why do SOME (not all) African Americans blame White people's ancestors for slavery when in reality-it was THEIR PEOPLE who sold them to the white people in the first place...Again-I'm not trying to start a racist fight-I just want some legitamte point's of view from MATURE, OPEN MINDED people..Thanks.

Answer 1

I'm of African and Latin descent, and I am not voting for Obama or McCain.

Yes, the Republicans were the ones to free slaves and also gave blacks the right to vote, but that was probably for selfish, vote pandering reasons.

There is corruption in every government and society; Yes there were African Kings that sold their own people for money. Just like large corporations and the government sell and do things to the public that can be harmful, just for the profit:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=...

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=...

BOTH sides were wrong in their actions as far as that issue goes. But those African Kings didn't tell the Europeans who bought their people to make them work without pay, and mistreat them, for years and years, even after slavery was over, and even still today.

Answer 2

My answer is twofold. First, it took federal intervention to demonstrably end slavery and later establish universal equal civil rights.  Today Democrats are more on the side of federal intervention to attempt to solve problems, while Republicans are more on the side of states' rights, or at least claim to be.  Second, preferential treatment of group rights over individual rights.  Democrats prefer the continuation of affirmative action, special punishment for hate crimes, etc.

If you mention states' rights in some circles, some see it as a term for racist, after all, wasn't that the argument for the secession of the southern states?  Even if the issue doesn't involve race.  Personally, I'm a small government, states' rights republican/libertarian type.  But there are some issues, like civil rights, that are universal, and if to achieve a just solution requires federal law, so be it.

People are correct that that the parties have changed, but not for racist reasons.  Usually it is just politically expedient to do so.

I don't think it is some nefarious agenda on either side.  If you look at the fundamental Republican platform, I really don't see anything racist there.  Lower taxes, smaller government, states' rights, strong military, etc.  And yes I know they don't always do what they say.  I'm just saying, the usual party line.  And yes, you will find individual racists, but the same can be said about Democrats.  So the Robert Byrd/David Duke examples are foolish coming from both sides.

Finally, the Dixiecrat argument is 40 plus years old.  I’d think we could get past that generation old argument and look at the platforms of today.

Answer 3

First, the Republicans of Lincoln's day were the Liberals which are modern day Democrats.  

I have never understood why black people do not blame the Africans who sold them into slavery.  Without that, the white people could never have bought them.

Lincoln did not go to war to abolish slavery.  He went to war to prevent the South from seceding from the Union.  The war was in it's 3 year before he decided to emancipate the slaves.  Until that time he had refused to even let free blacks serve in the Union Army.  

If the South had won the war, it would have been fought again.  You just cannot treat people like that and expect that they will be willing to live under those conditions.

Answer 4

Okay so here is the conservative side.

Modern day Republicans opposed welfare and affirmative action and other programs that gave the Libs plenty of fodder to say they were rascist.

If you look at welfare can you honestly say African americans are better off today then in the early 60's when it began? single parent rates over 70%, absentee fathers , rewarding with bigger checks for more children. Get married and lose your benefits! This is a new kind of slavery and thanks to the political spin machine they still think iots the Republicans keeping them down?

Affirmative action is also just more rascism. Giving preferential treatment to minorties solely because they are minorities? Why not provide a real benefit and help them understand that hard work and education are the key to sucess?

Yes i know lotsa problems with education but again Republicans offer solutions like vouchers charter schools and choice of were your kids go. Dems want us to keep giving money to the teachers union. (guess who gets their votes LOL)

You are all being conned! This country is still the land of oppurtunity, I know one guy who came here not even speaking the language 40 years ago who now is worth over 100 million through hard work and wise investing!

You can be succesfull if you want to be but it takes work and sacrifice. If you wait for the government to make you successful you have a heck of long wait!

Answer 5

Abe Lincoln may have helped abolish slavery but he wasn't some saint. He said that if he could have avoided the war without freeing a single slave he would have done it. A republican president from over 100 years ago shouldn't effect how you feel today anyway. Most people (white and black) don't know about the whole Africans selling their people into slavery thing.

Answer 6

I don't think your racist, I think its just a question out of curiosity. I personally don't like republicans or Democrats but is there any other way to vote? In Canada, I always vote for the "Green Party"(the environment party). But its what you want to see represented. Maybe certain groups feel their voices heard more with a certain party? It has nothing to do with Skin type though. I think if I had to vote and I was an American. I'd vote Obama. I don't like to see McCain. Its not because of how he looks, its just what his party has done and that's supported war. I understand terrorism but I don't understand why there could not have been a direct attack on terrorists instead of staying in Iraq. Again, its hard because politics is dirty and both sides are swines. And I say this freely because Politics was created on the basis that it would end war and solve disputes with words. Politics was also put forth to give people a voice and usually it silences a nations thoughts by cutting school funding and abusing the most innocent.  

Answer 7

In the days of Lincoln, Republicans were the liberals, and Democrats were the conservatives.  The parties have flipped their platforms since then.  I'm not exactly sure how that happened though.

I imagine blacks blame whites for slavery despite the fact that Africans did sell some of the slaves for the same reasons why viewers of child pornography are just as guilty as child pornographers - they created the market.

Answer 8

These are legitimate questions that baffle the h**l out of me - some very basic history lessons and the African Americans would throw the democratic bums out of office in a New York minute.

Answer 9

Republicans are perceived as being anti-black because of their reactionary views and largely, the accusation has merit.

And white people are mostly to blame for slavery.  If they hadn't made the market, the Ivory Coast slave traders wouldn't have needed to capture people to sell as slaves.  Additionally, there were lots of abuses of slaves by whites including lynchings, rape, unjust beatings, etc.

They have reason to be mad.

To get a flavour for what slavery was like, wath "Roots", by Arthur Hailey or "Amistad"  with Anthony Hopkins.  Some of the things done are very disturbing.

Answer 10

in the future when some one starts off saying im not racist they usually are in thats one of the reasons right there most republicans are not african american and they are RACIST in many ways towards many minority groups not just african americans.

why are most republicans white when you answer that youll get your answer

Answer 11

The Republican party has had a modern legacy of action that many in the African-American community may not agree with.

A Lincoln Republican would actually be a modern day Democrat and that shift really began with the civil rights movement and the Dixiecrats.  These Dixiecrats moved over to the Republican side and have since opposed things like Civil Rights legislation and the MLK holiday.

Answer 12

Since the 1960's the republicans have pandered to the racist vote  and  only in the last decade when it stopped being a winning strategy did they stop in presidential campaigns. They have used code  slogans and signal that blacks and racist understood even if not all white voters got it. In the 70's it was "crime in the streets followed by warfare queens and then quotas.  Even McCain participated in his support for flying the Confederate flag during the 2000 primaries, which he later admitted was  wrong. Prior to the switch in the republican party's position in the 1960's  almost all southern blacks  and many in the north including MLK were republicans

Here is an link the expands on this point and acknowledges that such a strategy existed.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/con...

Answer 13

TO HATE A PERSON OR GROUP WITHOUT FIRST HAND KNOWLEDGE OF EITHER IS STUPID AND LEAVES YOU OPEN FOR THEM TO DO LIKEWISE TO YOU. HOW CAN WE LEARN IF WE CLOSE OFF PART OF THE KNOWLEDGE AVAILABLE TO US.

Answer 14

Em,

Informed African Americans know that white people have cried similar tears with many of the injustices unique to being Black in America. You raise the behavior and intentions of the Republican Party when the news was heard by word of mouth and the print media as we know it was under development.  Your question stretches from behaviors from the 19th to the 21st century.  Now, the media has many faces and many voices that perpetrates human decency and heightens tensions in race relations when we should be sitting down and talking things out. If we zero in on the media it would be the Editors of the news.  These are the people who determine what would be reported and how it will be worded.  They are the writers of the script, the ones who set the agenda and the nation's dialog.  The information we receive about both parties is slanted and controversial. If the Editors were a person, know one would like them for being a trouble maker, a gossip, and a dishonest broker.  They make their money off of peoples misery and conflict, this is how ratings are scored.  So, always consider the source.  

Many Americans do not know their history and do not know why they believe what they believe.  On this thorny issue ignorance and stupidity is an equal opportunity b*****d child, that know one lays claim to.