Special Report: More than 1,700 congressmen once enslaved Black people, a Post investigation finds

The Post has created the first-ever database of members of Congress who were slaveholders, using thousands of pages of census records and other historical documents. These lawmakers — some never publicly acknowledged as slaveowners before — had a profound impact on the country's direction in the 18th, 19th and even early 20th century. Today, as America struggles with how to understand its history and which historical figures to honor, many of these lawmakers' statues stand in town squares, and their names adorn streets and public schools. This is who they were and how they shaped the nation. ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

Sign up for alerts Post investigations, major projects and important reads   Special Report Jan. 10, 8:17 a.m. EST More than 1,700 congressmen once enslaved Black people, a Post investigation finds The Post has created the first-ever database of members of Congress who were slaveholders, using thousands of pages of census records and other historical documents. These lawmakers — some never publicly acknowledged as slaveowners before — had a profound impact on the country's direction in the 18th, 19th and even early 20th century. Today, as America struggles with how to understand its history and which historical figures to honor, many of these lawmakers' statues stand in town squares, and their names adorn streets and public schools. This is who they were and how they shaped the nation. Read more   Advertisement

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