Why do black Americans tend to vote Democrat? This has been the case for the last 70 or 80 years. It is an interesting phenomenon and, some believe, part of an elaborate scheme to keep them dependent and subservient.

Slavery was defeated by a Republican president and a Republican congress. The Ku Klux Klan was established primarily by white Democrats who feared a freed and liberated black population.

The 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments to the US Constitution insured to black citizens the same rights as white citizens. These amendments were promoted by Republicans and denounced by Democrats.

The National Rifle Association, a heavily Republican organization, ensures the rights of both white and black Americans to enjoy the protection proffered by the Second Amendment. The lynchings of the early 20th century were executed primarily by white Democrats.

The Civil Rights Act of 1964, which outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex or national origin was contested by white Democrats in the Southern states. It was only nominally and grudgingly supported by Democrat President Lyndon Johnson. This important legislation was passed only with a major influence of the Republican Party.

The Democrats of the 19th century, including President James Buchanan and his vice president, John C. Breckinridge — later a member of Jefferson Davis’s cabinet — wanted to keep black slaves in bondage and on the plantation. This ultimately failed because of Republican commitment.

Today, the Democrat Party has created a new type of plantation. It is called the welfare state. By making black citizens dependent on the federal government through a variety of federal programs, they have managed to keep black men and women down.

Over the last decade, poverty and unemployment among black Americans has skyrocketed! Democrats would blame this on Republicans, but in truth it is the result of treating black Americans as second- or third-class citizens. The Democrat Party insists that black people cannot make it on their own, but must have federal assistance.

I encourage you to read “Please Stop Helping Us: How Liberals Make it Harder for Blacks to Succeed,” by Jason L. Riley. This erudite black man debunks the myth of a Democrat Party trying to help black people succeed.

Ford McLain

LaGrange