The Five Negro Presidents: According to what White People Said They Were

by J.A. Rogers

Maybe Barack Obama was not the first

Historian Joel Augustus Rogers provides his evidence that there have been nineteenth- and twentieth-century presidents of the United States who had partial black ancestry, including Harding, Jefferson, Jackson and Lincoln.

Genres: History

19 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1965

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads data base.

Joel Augustus Rogers was a Jamaican-American author, journalist, and historian who contributed to the history of Africa and the African diaspora, especially the history of African Americans in the United States. His research spanned the academic fields of history, sociology and anthropology. He challenged prevailing ideas about race, demonstrated the connections between civilizations, and traced African achievements. He was one of the greatest popularizers of African history in the 20th century.

Reviews

[Will Redman · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I was reading Mumbo Jumbo, I was rather surprised and intrigued to hear that there was strong feeling that Warren Harding had black relatives. When I saw that this pamphlet (it truly is a a pamphlet, it's stapled together and 19 pages long) was available on Amazon, I figured I'd have to read it and see what other presidents were believed to have black relatives. While some of the evidence is minimal (the sections on Thomas Jefferson and Andrew Jackson are each less than half a page), there were several interesting factoids that are worth sharing:

1. In 1940 there was a contest to find the person living in the US that looked most like Lincoln before the premiering of the movie "Abe Lincoln in Illinois". The winner of the contest, who supposedly looked like a spitting image of Lincoln was found to be part black. The press than greatly reduced publicity about him and the winner.

2. A biography on Warren Harding ("Warren G. Harding, President of the United States"), which included interviews from neighbors of his growing up who said he had black relatives, remains one of the rarest books in the US (there are only 3 known copies). This is supposedly because the Justice Department bought up many of the copies and had them burned.

3. There's a portrait of Alexander Hamilton (not a president, but nonetheless included in the book) that is not well known, where several of his features look less Caucasian than other portraits of him.

The pamphlet's a little all over the place (there's stuff about Lincoln in sections other than his) and there are some typos that the printing house presumably made/didn't correct, so if it wasn't so cheap I'd say it's probably not worth buying. If anyone ever wants to borrow it though lmk.

[Mack Moore · Rating 4 out of 5]

“The Five Negro Presidents” is a book that will open the eyes of those who read it. This book was recommended to me by someone I know. So I decided to buy it. I was curious. Could this be possible? Obama wasn’t the first black President? Who is covering up this lie from the masses and why? This book was written by J. A. Rogers, a black journalist, in 1965. Yes I said it, originally published in 1965! So when the Civil Rights Movement was going on, this book was in existence? The book like the title says, chronicles the stories of 5 U.S. Presidents that had black/African ancestry. One of the men was even quoted, by reporters, as saying “who knows one of my ancestors may have jumped the fence” when asked about his possible black ancestry. I recommend this book for all regardless of race! Four of these men are named in the book, but I don’t want to give away spoilers. All I will say is a couple of men who signed the Declaration of Independence are believed to have had black ancestry. Most of the men mentioned in this book, if not all, are well known. The 5th man is not mentioned in this book by name. Why is that? There could be possible theories. I know the unnamed 5th man was still living at the time the book was originally released. The other 4 were deceased. I hope that didn’t spoil it for you. I desire everyone to read “The Five Negro Presidents”. Get it today!

[RK Byers · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this back in '88. legally, you could probably make the case that just about every President was Black.

[Kay ☾ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Would have liked something with more detail. Not a bad quick read though.

[Sherri Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very informative

I found this book to be eye-opening and very stimulating informative has me the looking for more books on the topicp

[Jason Scoggins · Rating 5 out of 5]

You are going to be hard-pressed to find anybody that is pure white. Especially coming out of British or American ancestry

[Jon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Informative!

This book was very informative, and provocative. It is a testament to the blended history of the U.S., a history interpreted through " Black " and " White " perspectives ... the way that it will always be, the way that it ALWAYS should be.

[Jamaal Copeland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok

Not what one might think it is suppose to be about. A lot of historical hearsay, regarding the interracial potentiality of former presidents

[Frank · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent short reference

This is a great, short book full of references to more detailed selections. It’s great for quick reading and packed full of facts.

[Deborah K. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting and informative. Sheds light on what our society chooses to ignore.

[Miss Carter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Informative but I wish I would have known ahead of time it was only 20 pages. It should really be cheaper since it's so small. Not including cited sources it's probably 17 pages.

[Kory Drake · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful book have me the confirmation I already new but needed proof

[Tony · Rating 2 out of 5]

Uncaptivating

I initially thought it would end up being a well written book. Ultimately, it's made up of gossip. Very little scholarship.

[Katrina Nichols · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointed

The title seems ridiculous after reading the book. The premise of the book is race perception based on the people of the time. The author could not prove or even offer a convincing argument of the possibility of a "Negro" president prior to Obama. Very disappointing.

[Jacquelyn Carter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting information

Interesting for those who are interested in Black History or any type of history since this book incorporates the racial background of the presidents and included are the sources of the info. I gave the book 4 stars because I wanted even more depth

[LaQuetta Copeland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gave me what I was looking for

This book gave me what I was looking for. I expected slightly more but it helped to have the well noted references from the author to continue my reading

[Eon Watson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Obama was not the first moorish president

This is a nice book about moorish presidents but need to be updated.
John Hansen was also a moorish president, too.

[Trish C · Rating 3 out of 5]

Informative

It was entertaining to say the least. It was like getting a glimpse of the TMZ or Us weekly of that time.

[Veronica]

This was very educational! It's a short & easy read. I was done in an hour...maybe it was less time than that!

[Chelle]

truth.