Posted on 06/18/2012 2:16:58 AM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
US First Lady Michelle Obama's ancestry can be traced to a slave owner from what is now Northern Ireland, who emigrated to America in the 1700s.
A new book claims that Andrew Shields, who fought against the British in the American War of Independence, was Mrs Obama's great-great-great-great-great-great-grandfather and his family were slave owners.
Her great-great-great-grandmother Melvinia was a slave who had children by Charles Shields, grandson of Andrew Shields. One of those children, Dolphus Shields, born in 1859, was Michelle Obama's direct ancestor.
The claims are made in American Tapestry: The Story of the Black, White and Multiracial Ancestors of Michelle Obama by Rachel L Swarns, a writer with the New York Times.
DNA technology was used to prove the link, and among the genealogists who helped trace Mrs Obama's roots was Megan Smolenyak, who discovered that President Obama's roots went back to Moneygall in Co Offaly.
While the book does not identify where the Shields came from, it was most likely Ulster as the family was Protestant and there was considerable Scots-Irish emigration to the American South at the time.
It traces dozens of white relatives of Michelle Obama, none of whom knew of their connection through slavery to the first lady. Most were shocked to learn the connection and hoped that the Shields-Melvinia relationship was not one of rape, but love.
You really don't like to face this kind of thing, said Joan Tribble, whose ancestors owned the first lady's relative.
To me, it's an obvious love story, another descendant, Aliene Shields, added, pointing out they had several children together.
Ms Smolenyak began the project just before Mr Obama was elected president and she said she hoped her discovery would please the first lady.
Andrew Jackson's family had recently come to the colonies--it's not likely he had any black ancestors in Scotland or Ireland. There was a rumor about one of Harding's ancestors having black ancestry, but that may have been made up by a neighbor who didn't like the man. Jefferson was born in 1743, just decades after African slaves started to become numerous in Virginia--if any of his grandparents or great-grandparents had been black he probably would have looked like someone of mixed-race ancestry.
Supposedly all modern-day humans are descended from African ancestors (the "out of Africa" theory). Anyway the Garden of Eden was in Africa. I learned that from one of my classmates in high school. The Bible says that Adam named all the animals, so the Garden of Eden had to be in Africa for him to name the lion.
Is she getting ready to hit someone with that spade?
I hope you are aware that there were thousands of blacks who owned slaves.
I would say the Ulster slave owner sold Americans defective goods and should be forced to repay the American taxpayers all the money she’s spent since being enthroned as FLOTUS.
Lol! If you listen to some people, all of our ancestors were gay as well.
Even taking a literalist approach to the Garden of Eden, the range of various lion species was far greater in the past then it stands currently. There were lions in Europe and the New World, as well as Asia (there are still Asian lions, though they have a limited range). And that is assuming a rather strict definition of lion - I doubt that current taxonomic classifications was used in the Bible.
so this is how they desensitize feeelings in an election year?
We are all slaves now, Moochelle.
some to others, all to the debt left behind by smucks like your fraud-in-chief.
Lions were found outside Africa--a famous ruin from Bronze Age Greece is the Lion Gate at Mycenae, and one of the labors of Hercules (Heracles) involved the Nemean Lion (Nemea is in Greece). The ancient Persians had the lion for a symbol. And if the Garden of Eden was in Africa, how did Adam name the kangaroo, the koala, and the wallaby? Not to mention the Komodo dragon or the Gila monster.
Slavery is bad...but I tend to think cannibalism is worse. It’s a human invention too, and was widely practiced. I dare say, some of our ancestors were a meal for someone at one time. Just sayin’....
I’m thinking the same thing. Sure, we all are interested in what happened to our folks that went before, but is it really that important to the rest of the world? By now, this who-did-what-to-whom for the purpose of righting-a-wrong has really gotten tedious and trite. BORING and inconsequential.
You nailed it there.
Moochelle is paying herself her reparations.
Look at her lifestyle and who is paying for it.
Nonetheless--I accept responsibility for my own actions but no one else's. I also don't take credit for anyone else's benevolence.
Nonetheless--I accept responsibility for my own actions but no one else's. I also don't take credit for anyone else's benevolence.
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GGG managers are SunkenCiv, StayAt HomeMother & Ernest_at_the_Beach | |
Thanks 2ndDivisionVet. |
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GGG managers are SunkenCiv, StayAt HomeMother & Ernest_at_the_Beach | |
Thanks 2ndDivisionVet. Whoops, second attempt. |
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Whoops, and thanks Impy!
None of my kids have my name.
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