Ancestral Background of US Presidents

The ancestral background of presidents of the United States has been relatively consistent throughout American history. With the exception of John F. Kennedy, Martin Van Buren, and perhaps Dwight D. Eisenhower, every president has ancestors from Great Britain. Kennedy was of pure Irish descent, Van Buren was of Dutch lineage; and Eisenhower was of German and Swiss heritage. Barack Obama is the only president to have recent ancestry from outside Western Europe; his paternal family is of the Luo people of East Africa.

The most common ethnic groups in the Thirteen Colonies were those hailing from either Great Britain or Northern Ireland. Those of other backgrounds (such as Irish, Dutch, German or French) would see attempts to assimilate them into the dominant English and predominately Protestant culture.

Some nativist political groups within the United States were adamantly opposed to identifying with a foreign nation and would coin those who did as hyphenated Americans. Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson were outspoken opponents of hyphenated Americans, with Wilson once remarking, "Any man who carries a hyphen about with him, carries a dagger that he is ready to plunge into the vitals of this Republic when he gets ready."

Ancestry table summary: Dutch – 5 • English – 38 • French – 9 • German – 11 • Irish – 4 • Kenyan (Luo) – 1 • Scottish – 17 • Swiss – 3 • Ulster Scots – 21 • Welsh – 15

Sources:
Wikipedia
Britannica

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