Should I vote Democrat or Republican? This Black Man’s Dilemma

13 min readSep 2, 2020

The year is 2020. The month is August. And we’re in one of the most troubling times ever seen or experienced by Americans in modern history!

This year, most of the United States has endured some form of shut down due to the corona virus, aka Covid-19, or the China Virus as stated by #45.

The current unemployment rate in the US is above 10% with some economists predicting the true unemployment numbers could get higher than the great depression that hit a high 24.9%. As of this writing, there has been over 180,000 deaths in the United States and over 700,000 worldwide. The deaths are predicted to continue rising.

The horrific killing of yet another unarmed black man named George Floyd by the police has sparked protest all across America and the world, arguably the biggest wave of protest we have ever seen.

And then there is an upcoming presidential election.

I have been an active participant in the voting process for at least a decade, but I believe this is different than any other election year experienced in my lifetime. I know we say this all the time, but the growing divide in this country is growing with every election.

The US is a country very divided on so many issues including personal freedom, race relations, religion, climate change, role of government, U.S.’s role in the world, and so much more.

One major factor that could push this election one way or the other is the way African Americans will vote or choose not to vote. Being the second largest minority, with around 13% of the population and holding the largest share of electorates for any community of color, the way African Americans choose to cast their ballots in this country in 2020 will have huge implications!

First, let me say: We’ve got to vote!

Since we have been granted the right to vote, we have stuck together to vote in one way or another and it has been an effective strategy for the most part.

The question is, who should we vote for?

This year, there appears to be more discussion about which political party is and has been actually better for blacks. For the 2008 election of Barack Obama (D) vs John McCain (R), African Americans knew who they were voting for and there was no doubt amongst the majority.

Blacks have been voting for the democratic party since 1932 with the election of Franklin D. Roosevelt. This year, there appears to be more division within the black community. You have celebrities like Kanye West trying to convince blacks to vote Republican initially and then independent (or for the Birthday Party, where he is the candidate).

We have outspoken conservatives like Candice Owens trying to make a push for African Americans to vote for Donald Trump.

Confession: I’m a registered Democrat

Although I consider myself a moderate liberal, I’ve been open to listening to Black conservatives.

At first, I was quick to try and defend the party that I have voted for my whole adult life, the Democrats. I grew up aware of how President Richard Nixon and President Ronald Reagan devastated the black community with their war on drugs.

I’ve seen how President Trump denied knowing about the existence of the KKK as he also referred to athletes as “sons of bitches” for peacefully protesting. And trust me, I’ve listened to those who told me, don’t listen to his tweets, just look at his action. I’ve looked and I don’t like what I see.

Regardless, I promised myself to do extensive research on American presidents before the election arrives. I needed to know if I was just perpetuating talking points that I’ve been taught by Democrats all my life.

Was I a victim of just following what other generations of Africans Americans had done before me? I had to know for myself.

I really didn’t know in detail what policies and laws either party had put in place throughout history to help or hinder African Americans. Were the policies meant to help us, really hurting us?

Should I be casting my vote for Republicans or sticking with Democrats?

I took a quick trip through my history to find out why I felt the way I did. I needed to find out why there is still so much racial inequality and disparity in this country. This journey will mostly focus on executive branch policies and not local policies by either party.

As you can see, this is a lengthy examination of policies towards Blacks by American presidents. Come with me on this journey if you dare!

1619–1861 — A little history leading up to the Civil War. (In this period, I would have voted for no one because I wouldn’t have had the right to vote!)

In 1619, the First Enslaved Africans arrived in the British Colony of Virginia. This would be the start of the two and a half centuries of slavery in North America and marks the beginning of around 450,000 Africans arriving in the United States.

As far as policies go from 1619 to 1863, there was not a lot done to benefit African Americans in the United States. There were a lot of oppressive laws that regulated how African American should act and behave, but nothing was done to help them in the political arena.

During this time, we saw the American Revolutionary War, the writing of The Declaration of Independence, 16 Presidents, and the beginning of the Civil War.

By 1860, there were 4 million slaves. In the south slaves made up 1/3 of the population.

On April 30, 1778, George Washington was inaugurated as the first President of the United States and didn’t proclaim to be part of any political party. He actually didn’t like the thought of political parties stating “[Political Party] agitates the community with ill founded jealousies and false alarms; kindles the animosity of one part against the another; torments occasional riots and insurrection. It opens the door to foreign influence and corruption which, finds a facilitated access to the government itself through channels of party passions…. “

George Washington was followed by five presidents that set some of the ground work for the parties we have today but really didn’t attribute their beliefs into clear political parties. Their disagreements were mainly surrounded around what the role of government should be.

Should there be a strong central government or a government that supported a stronger state government? The second President, John Adams, was a called a Federalists (strong central government) and the next four (4) Presidents, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, and John Quincy Adams were called Democratic Republicans or Antifederalist (supported stronger state government).

The Birth of the Democratic Party

It wasn’t until Andrew Jackson (7th president) in 1829 that a political party was established: the Democratic Party. This Democratic Party is nothing like the one we have today, but we will get to that.

Jackson hated big government, recommend suppression of “incendiary publications”, and damned abolitionists “wicked attempts: to incite a slave rebellion.” He stood on a platform that wanted democracy for all white men and tried to eradicate Native Americans.

Jackson is the president known for the Trail of Tears or forced removal of Native Americans. His opposition called him a “jack ass” and he liked it so much he used it as his mascot. This is where the donkey comes from for the Democratic Party.

After Jackson came Martin Van Buren, another Democrat who said in his inaugural address that he would be an “Inflexible and uncompromising opponent of every attempt on the part of Congress to abolish slavery in the District of Columbia against the wishes of slave holding states, and also with a determination equally decided to resist the slightest interference with it in the states where it exist.” Van Buren referred to slaveholders as “sincere friends to the happiness of mankind,” and he described abolition as a “vicious device” of evil. Van Buren even published a pamphlet opposing the abolition of slavery.

In 1841, America would see the first president that represented the Whig Party, John Tyler. The Whig party was comprised of a mix of individuals that represented a wide range of view points including left, right and center. The party was centered around a hate for Andrew Jackson. Whigs were pro tariff, pro taxation, supported infrastructure, public schools and roads.

The Whig party only had three presidents before splitting up after their last President Millard Fillmore who got the Fugitive Slave Act passed. The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 was part of the Compromise of 1850. The act required that slaves be returned to their owners, even if they were in a free state. The act also made the federal government responsible for finding, returning, and trying escaped slaves.

This would spilt up the party causing some to leave for the Democrats and other going on to form a new party called the Republican Party.

The lead up to the Civil War

From 1841 to 1861, the United States would see four Whig Presidents and three Democrat presidents. During this time, African American and abolitionist received one blow after another.

First it was the Fugitive Slave Act, a law that stated any runaway slave needed to be returned to their owner. Then Franklin Pierce, the 14 President (Democrat) signed the dreaded Kansas Nebraska Act. This repelled the Missouri comprise and allowed residents in states to decide if a territory should be a free state or a slave state.

Another huge set back to African Americans during this time was the Dread Scott Decision of 1857. This Supreme Court decision stated that the Constitution was not meant to include citizenship for black people, regardless of whether they were enslaved or free.

This means the rights and privileges that the Constitution confers upon American citizens could not apply to African Americans. It also stated that blacks had no rights under the federal government, and slave states no longer had to honor “once free always free”.

This decision would send shock waves throughout the United States and give rise to the election of Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War. It’s with Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation that blacks finally received freedom in this county.

This is where I will start my timeline

16th Abraham Lincoln 1861–1865 (First Republican)

In 1863 Abraham Lincoln issues The Emancipation Proclamation, an executive order that freed all slaves in rebellious Southern states and adds 200,000 blacks to the union. This was a declaration by a sitting President that slavery was wrong.
In 1865 Lincoln played an active role in passing the 13th amendment which states “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.”

It makes sense that blacks join the Republican Party.

17th Andrew Johnson 1865–1869 Democrat

Took over when Abraham Lincoln dies because he was the Vice President
Once again believed in States Rights. He was a Southerner who did not believe in equality for slaves that Lincoln had freed
Granted clemency to former Confederates and allowed them to elect new governments that look a lot like the governments before the civil war. This led to Black Codes, which where laws designed to control and repress newly freed Blacks
Returned all land captured by the Union to their owners. A lot of it was promised to former slaves (40 Acres and a Mule)
Congress believed he was too forgiving to the South so they passed laws overriding veto attempts by Johnson
In 1866 congress successfully overrode a Johnson veto to pass the Civil Rights of 1866 and the 14th amendment in 1868 that stated: “All persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.”
Andrew Johnson was the first President to be impeached but would finish his term.

At this point blacks would no benefit from joining the Democratic Party. The Democratic Party at this time was the party of slavery

18th Ulysses S. Grant 1869–1877 Republican

Was a war hero and general under Abraham Lincoln
In 1870 he supported the 15 Amendment — giving Black men the right to vote
Brought over 3,000 indictments against the Klan to protect Black citizenship
By 1872, the Klan’s power had collapsed, and black men voted in record numbers in elections in the South.
enforced civil and voting rights
Signed the Civil Rights of 1875 -it was designed to “protect all citizens in their civil and legal rights”, providing for equal treatment in public accommodations and public transportation
Fredrick Douglass quoted as saying: “To him, more than to any other man, the Negro owes his enfranchisement,” after Grant’s death.
According to the Journal of Blacks in Higher Education, African Americans looked on Grant with favor: “Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, but it was Grant who actually freed the slaves.”

During The Reconstruction period from 1865–1877 over thirteen hundred African Americans held government jobs and several hundred served in elected public office. The first black colleges such as Fisk and Howard University were founded.

Ulysses S Grant truly is not talked about enough for his role in assisting blacks in reconstruction. I would have stuck with the Republican Party during this time

19th Rutherford B Hayes-Republican 1877–1881

When he lost the popular vote but won a very disputed Electoral College vote, he agreed that if he was to become president he would end all federal military occupation of the South.
This deal would have horrible ramifications for blacks. Within months you start to see the Origins of Jim Crow Laws. These laws prevented blacks from voting, prevented intermarriage, and allowed separate (but unequal) accommodations

In hindsight, obviously any Blacks that voted for this guy made a mistake. But I’m sure the Democrat option was bad too. This is about 12 years after the civil war and Republicans are starting to give up on supporting blacks. Hierarchy amongst the races became more broadly accepted.

20th James A Garfield- Republican 1881–1881

Major General for the Union under Lincoln
Speaking during his inauguration, Garfield celebrated the dissolution of slavery and called it “the most important political change” since the Constitution
Garfield also appointed four black men to his administration, including activist Frederick Douglass as recorder of deeds for the District of Columbia.
shot within 4 months of presidency

Probably would have been a good president for Blacks, but sadly we will never know.

21st Chester A. Arthur 1881- 1885 — Republican

Became President when James Garfield was assassinated
In 1855, as an attorney, he successfully represented a black woman who had been denied a seat on a Manhattan streetcar due to her race
The case helped lead to the desegregation of public transportation in New York City
As an attorney, Arthur was also involved in the so called Lemmon Slave Case that said slaves being transferred to a slave state through New York would be freed
As president, Arthur struggled with how if at all to protect the civil rights of Blacks. As accounted by Frederick Douglas: “the Republican Party had faltered since Rutherford B. Hayes, Garfield was too weak to uphold it, and Arthur would do nothing to stop the decline”.

Expressed concern for the growing racial discrimination of blacks especially when the supreme court struck down the civil rights act of 1875 but did little if anything to stop the problem

22nd & 24th Grover Cleveland 1885–1889 And 1893–1897- Democratic

He agreed with white southerns in their reluctance to treat Blacks as social and political equals. Saw blacks as inferior
Opposed integrated schools in New York. Opposed efforts to protect the suffrage of African Americans
Cleveland approved of the 1896 Supreme Court decision of Plessy v. Ferguson, which recognized the constitutionality of racial segregation under the “separate but equal” doctrine

Grover Cleveland saw blacks as inferior. He was a horrible President for the suffrage of Blacks.

23rd Benjamin Harrison 1889–1893 Republican

Endorsed two bills designed to prevent Southern states from denying African Americans the right to vote.
Tried to overture the Supreme Court ruling in Civil Rights Cases that declared much of the Civil Rights Act of 1875 unconstitutional.
Supported a bill that would grant federal funding to schools regardless of race.
December 3, 1889, Harrison had gone before Congress and stated: ” The colored people did not intrude themselves upon us; they were brought here in chains and held in communities where they are now chiefly bound by a cruel slave code….. when and under what conditions is the black man to have a free ballot? When is he in face to have those full civil rights which have so long been his in law?”
Even though none of the measures that Benjamin Harrison wanted would pass, he made a solid attempt to right wrongs in the country for Blacks.