New Book Talks About Biden’s Ancestors Owning Slaves

The President of the United States (POTUS) has often proudly spoken of his Irish Catholic heritage. However, in a soon-to-be-released book, the rarely spoken of practice of slave-ownership practiced by his ancestors has been elaborated upon.

According to the book that is to be released on Sept. 21, 2021, Biden has two great-great-great-grandfathers who owned slaves. Through another ancestor, the POTUS is distantly related to the wife of Confederate President Jefferson Davis.

Politico writer Ben Schreckinger in his book The Bidens: Inside the First Family’s Fifty-Year Rise to Power has shared the details of the world leader’s family history. Aside from discussing Biden’s Irish Catholic heritage, the book takes a look at the president’s southern connections.

The president is reportedly the great-great-great-grandson of Jesse Robinett. Biden shares a link with the ancestor on his father’s side in blood and name as the POTUS’ middle name is Robinett. In the 1800s the presidential ancestor reportedly owned two slaves in Allegany County, Maryland.

Another great-great-great-grandfather of president who owned slaves was Thomas Randle. According to the 1850 census records and slave schedules the ancestor had enslaved a 14-year-old boy in Baltimore County, Maryland. As per the 1860 census records, Randle and his family moved to the county’s 13th district. As per the slave schedule of the same year, the family enslaved a single black man.

The census records and the slave schedules are two separate records of slave headcounts conducted in 1850 and 1860.

A genealogist from West Virginia, Alexander Bannerman, stated that Americans with colonial-era roots have slave-owning ancestors. While this is a common occurrence, Biden’s ancestors have a “modest” slave-owning history.

The book also noted that Biden is related to Allen Robanet. It is believed that he came from England in the 1680s and settled in Pennsylvania. Robanet is thought to be related to Varina Anne Banks Howell the wife of Davis.

The president has been plagued with racist implications before. In 1984, during Supreme Court Justice William Rehnquist's nomination as Chief Justice Biden had pointed out that Rehnquist lived in homes with “restrictive covenants”. These racist covenants came with the clause that they could not be owned by black people.

It was revealed that Biden’s parents owned a home with similar restrictive covenants, The Daily Mail reported. Biden had lived in this Delaware home between 1971 and 1974 as well. However, the future president had fought off criticism at the time by claiming his parents had filed a declaration of disavowal.