Daughter of Slave Votes for Obama
posted by Dave Hoffman
In light of the pervasive belief in electoral fraud discussed by commentators to this post, and the deep skepticism of the franchise evidenced by some notable bloggers, I am passing along the following lovely story:
Amanda Jones, 109, the daughter of a man born into slavery, has lived a life long enough to touch three centuries. And after voting consistently as a Democrat for 70 years, she has voted early for the country’s first black presidential nominee.. . .
Jones, a delicate, thin woman wearing golden-rimmed glasses, giggled as the family discussed this year’s presidential election. She is too weak to go the polls, so two of her 10 children — Eloise Baker, 75, and Joyce Jones — helped her fill out a mail-in ballot for Barack Obama, Baker said. “I feel good about voting for him,” Amanda Jones said.
Jones’ father herded sheep as a slave until he was 12, according to the family, and once he was freed, he was a farmer who raised cows, hogs and turkeys on land he owned. Her mother was born right after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed, Joyce Jones said. The family owned more than 100 acres of land in Cedar Creek at one point, she said.
Amanda Jones’ father urged her to exercise her right to vote, despite discriminatory practices at the polls and poll taxes meant to keep black and poor people from voting. Those practices were outlawed for federal elections with the 24th Amendment in 1964, but not for state and local races in Texas until 1966.
Amanda Jones says she cast her first presidential vote for Franklin Roosevelt, but she doesn’t recall which of his four terms that was. When she did vote, she paid a poll tax, her daughters said.
The antiquarian in me loves this story, not least because of the idea that we’re just two generations removed from the Emancipation proclamation, and the reminder that the poll tax was a reality for lots of living folks.
The troublemaker in me wants to find a countervailing story: “Son of confederate veteran votes for McCain.”
October 29, 2008 at 4:34 pm
Posted in: Current Events
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Responses (12)
merevaudevillian - October 29, 2008 at 6:21 pm
…which would be ironic, given that the Republican party helped abolish slavery and that the Democratic party helped found the confederacy. How impressions change.
Frank - October 29, 2008 at 6:48 pm
And since merevaudvillian has given us one piece of the historical puzzle, here’s a bit to complement it:
“In ’48 when Truman, though facing a sweeping defeat, decreed a robust civil rights plank for the Dem platform and Humphrey intoned that we must, in Lincoln’s words, “do the right, as God has given us to know the right,” the racists bitterly decamped. A body formerly known as the Party of Lincoln invited them in, gave them succor, and crafted a cynical “southern strategy.”
from
http://open.salon.com/content.php?cid=34961
and here’s more:
“Exactly what happened to the old Democratic coalition that held sway through the 30s, 40s and early 50s? It consisted of the south, the northern cities, the labour unions and the intellectual left, Krugman notes. It fell apart, however, over the crucial issue of race. Lyndon Johnson understood this perfectly well, and commented to one advisor after the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964: “I think we’ve just delivered the south to the Republican party for the rest of my life, and yours.” As Krugman says, “The changing politics of race made it possible for a revived conservative movement, whose ultimate goal was to reverse the achievements of the New Deal, to win national elections – even though it supported policies that favoured the interests of a narrow elite over those of middle- and lower-income Americans.”"
from
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2008/mar/22/politics1
db - October 29, 2008 at 7:04 pm
Great story, Dave — thanks for posting it!
Noter of irony - October 29, 2008 at 7:09 pm
Somewhat ironic that the first African-American president of the United States (assuming Obama wins as the media has decreed) will be a descendant of slave owners only and not of anyone who was actually a slave. (Cf. Baltimore Sun among others.)
A.J. Sutter - October 29, 2008 at 10:01 pm
More interesting yet: “Son of confederate veteran votes for Obama.”
pal - October 29, 2008 at 10:21 pm
even better: “daughter of the American Revolution votes for Nader.”
unlikely - October 30, 2008 at 2:01 am
best yet: someone somewhere excitedly votes for McCain.
John Sabia - October 30, 2008 at 9:07 am
Heartwarming story – I too find it ironic that he is the descendant of slave owners.
JP - October 30, 2008 at 12:05 pm
Great story.
However, I don’t understand the connection to belief in electoral fraud. I also don’t get the reference to “skepticism of the franchise.” Does this refer to Adler’s posts on vote fraud? Somin’s posts on rational political ignorance? If so, again I don’t see the connection to the story. Or have some of the Volokh bloggers been advocating a poll tax and I’ve just missed it???
A.W. - October 30, 2008 at 3:04 pm
Mmm, I find it odd to claim that African Americans will be “free at last” because we have voted for a man judged not by the content of his character but the color of his skin. I means, seriously, if Obama was white he would be John Edwards, circa 2004 (and leaving out the affair, obviously). Why was one laughably unqualified and not the other?
Mind you, there is an inherent value to electing a black president. There can be no doubt on this point. But is it really so important that we will vote for this shmuck? I can name 10 black people, famous or not, who would make a better president than Obama, starting with Secretary Rice and Powell.
> The troublemaker in me wants to find a countervailing story: “Son of confederate veteran votes for McCain.”
Well, we do have Black Panthers for Obama. Hizbollah for Obama. William Ayers seems to like him, as does the President of Iran.
Meanwhile, the President of France says that Obama won’t be strong enough with the President of Iran. I will repeat that. the PRESIDENT OF FRANCE is concerned that Obama is not strong enough. I guess that is part of why Biden thinks that the election of Obama will invite a crisis.
And meanwhile Iraqis are for McCain. Funny, I thought Obama and the left were arguing for us to leave in part to help the Iraqis. I guess they are too stupid to know what is good for them.
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=081030170209.3wcxfwin&show_article=1
A.W. - October 30, 2008 at 3:43 pm
Btw, i don’t get the “voter fraud” reference. Are you taling about how voter fraud was widespread across the south during the rule of the redshirt and the ku kluxm in order to defacto deny African Americans of their right to vote?
It is a tragedy when anyone’s vote is nullified by fraud.
DOUGLAS FIELD - November 2, 2008 at 12:40 am
TROY DAVIS, PLEASE REMEMBER THAT AMERICA IS NOT THE OLD SOUTH ~ AFRICA !!!
****A $TATE ECONOMIC BOYCOTT OF GEORGIA INTERNATIONALLY WILL OBVIOU$LY BE THE END RE$ULT OF GEORGIA DECIDING TO MURDER A PO$$IBLE INNOCENT TROY DAVI$ WITHOUT A NEW AND FAIR TRIAL ?
****US CONGRESSIONAL MEMBERS WHO ARE ALSO LAWYERS BY TRADE, CONTINUE TO DENY poorer AMERICAN’S PROPER LEGAL REPRESENTATION !!!
****THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY NEEDS TO BEGIN A FORMAL INVESTIGATION INTO THESE US CONGRESSIONAL CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY, AND HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS BEING INFLICTED ON poorer AMERICAN’S LIKE MR.TROY DAVIS OF GEORGIA !!!
****HAVING BEEN DENIED APPEAL LAWYERS FOR THREE YEARS ON DEATH ROW IN GEORGIA MR. TROY DAVIS IS NOW BEING EXECUTED FOR A CRIME HE MIGHT NOT HAVE EVEN BEEN INVOLVED WITH !!!
****SENATOR OBAMA PLEASE LET THIS COUNTRIES VOTERS KNOW YOUR FEELINGS AND THOUGHTS ABOUT A NEEDED FUTURE REPAIR AND RENOVATION OF OUR BROKEN JUDICIAL SYSTEM THAT CONTINUES TO ALLOW THE EXECUTION’S OF EVEN POSSIBLE INNOCENT AMERICAN’S LIKE TROY DAVIS OF GEORGIA ?????
****BEING THE WEALTHIEST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD SENATOR OBAMA, DON’T WE NEED AS THE LEADERS OF THE FREE WORLD TO BEGIN ONCE AGAIN TO RE-INVEST THE PROPER MONIE$ IN OUR OWN US JUDICIAL SYSTEM, ASSURING ALL OF OUR CITIZENS THEIR RIGHTS TO FAIR TRIALS WITH PROPER LEGAL REPRESENTATION ???
****DOES GOD NEED TO LOBBY OUR US CONGRESSIONAL LEADERS OF THE FREE WORLD ON BEHALF OF OUR poorer american’s SENATOR OBAMA,OR ARE YOU WATCHING OUT FOR THEM ??
****OUR US CONGRESS CONTINUES TO DENY MIDDLE CLASS AND WORKING POOR AMERICANS PROPER LEGAL REPRESENTATION EVEN THOUGH WRONGFUL EXECUTIONS & FALSE INCARCERATIONS CONTINUE ALL ACROSS AMERICA ???
**** 700 BILLION $$$ AVAILABLE FOR US BAILOUT, & NO $$$ FOR ALL POORER AMERICANS PROPER LEGAL REPRESENTATION ? SENATOR OBAMA, THIS JUDICIAL INJUSTICE HAS BECOME AN AMERICAN ART FORM, AND NO LONGER CAN BE KEPT HIDDEN OR SECRET FROM THE AMERICAN PEOPLE EVEN IF CERTAIN (501c3) U$ RELIGIOU$ LEADER$ HAVE BEEN $ILENCED ??
****LETS ALL HOPE OUR MEDIA FRIENDS CONTINUE TO SHOW AN INTEREST IN REPORTING ON THIS AMERICAN HORROR FACING THESE (TENS OF THOUSANDS) FORGOTTEN AND TRAPPED POORER AMERICANS, AND HOW THIS PRESIDENTIAL CONTENDER HANDLES THIS VERY SERIOUS ISSUE FACING AMERICA’S LATINO AND BLACK AMERICAN COMMUNITIES ????
****WITH 80% OF THE BLACK AMERICAN VOTERS SAYING THEY SUPPORT SENATOR OBAMA IN THIS PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION, IT IS ONLY FAIR FOR EVERYONE TO KNOW PRIOR BEING ELECTED OUR NEXT PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES HOW THIS DEMOCRATIC SENATOR TRULY FEELS ABOUT THIS AMERICAN JUDICIAL INJUSTICE CONTINUING TO INFLICT GRAVE HARM ON THE BLACK & LATINO AMERICAN FAMILIES AND THEIR COMMUNITIES NATIONWIDE ??????
**** WHEN GOD’S FACE BECAME VERY RED *** THE US SUPREME COURT GAVE ENEMY COMBATANTS FEDERAL APPEAL HC RIGHTS LAWYERS AND PROPER ACCESS TO US FEDERAL COURTS,AND POORER AMERICANS (MANY EVEN ON DEATH ROW) ARE DENIED PROPER FEDERAL APPEAL LEGAL REPRESENTATION TO OUR US FEDERAL COURTS OF APPEAL, AND ROTTING IN AMERICAN PRISONS NATIONWIDE ?????????
**** INNOCENT AMERICANS ARE DENIED REAL HC RIGHTS WITH THEIR FEDERAL APPEALS ! THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ARE $LOWLY FINDING OUT HOW EA$Y IT I$ FOR MIDDLE CLA$$ AND WORKING POOR AMERICAN$ TO FALL VICTIM TO OUR U$ MONETARY JUDICIAL $Y$TEM.
****WHEN THE US INNOCENT WERE ABANDONED BY THE GUILTY **** The prison experts have reported that there are 100,000 innocent Americans currently being falsely imprisoned along with the 2,300,000 total US prison population nationwide.
****WHERE ARE AMERICA’S RELIGIOUS LEADERS ??????? Since our US Congress has never afforded poor prison inmates federal appeal legal counsel for their federal retrials,they have effectively closed the doors on these tens of thousands of innocent citizens ever being capable of possibly exonerating themselves to regain their freedom through being granted new retrials.
****This same exact unjust situation was happening in our Southern States when poor and mostly uneducated Black Americans were being falsely imprisoned for endless decades without the needed educational skills to properly submit their own written federal trial appeals.
****This devious and deceptive judicial process of making our poor and innocent prison inmates formulate and write their own federal appeal legal cases for possible retrials on their state criminal cases,is still in effect today even though everyone in our US judicial system knows that without proper legal representation, these tens of thousands of innocent prison inmates will be denied their rightful opportunities of ever being granted new trials from our federal appeal judges!!
****Sadly, the true US *legal* Federal Appeal situation that occurs when any of our uneducated American prison inmates are forced to attempt to submit their own written Federal Appeals (from our prisons nationwide) without the assistance of proper legal counsel, is that they all are in reality being denied their legitimate rights for Habeas Corpus with our US FEDERAL COURTS and will win any future Supreme Court Case concerning this injustice!
****For our judicial system and our US Congressional Leaders Of The Free World to continue to pretend that this is a real and fair opportunity for our American Middle Class and Working Poor Citizens, only delays the very needed future change of Federal Financing of all these Federal appeals becoming a normal formula of Our American judicial system.
****It was not so very long ago that Public Defenders became a Reality in this country.Prior that legal reality taking place, their were also some who thought giving anyone charged with a crime a free lawyer was a waste of taxpayers $$.
****This FACADE and HORROR of our Federal Appeal proce$$ is not worthy of the Greatest Country In The World! ***GREAT SOCIETIES THAT DO NOT PROTECT EVEN THEIR INNOCENT, BECOME THE GUILTY !
****A MUST READ ABOUT AMERICAN INJUSTICE:
1) YAHOO 2) GOOGLE
(MANNY GONZALES THE KID THAT EVERYONE FORGOT IN THE CA PRISON SYSTEM.)
**** A JUDICIAL RIDE OF ONES LIFE !
****Someone please tell our US Congress that the GED degree that Manny Gonzales acquired in prison is not a LAW DEGREE !!!!!!
lawyersforpooramericans@yahoo.com (424-247-2013)
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