Congressmembers’ wealth is directly linked to whether or not their ancestors were involved with slavery, a study reveals.
Researchers have found that congressional leaders who come from a line of slave owners had an average net worth of $1.28 million compared to the less than $100,000 of their counterparts whose heritages are not linked.
The findings have provided evidence that suggests there is a connection between people owning slaves and their descendants having more wealth and status even 150 years later, according to the researchers.
The number of slaves their ancestors owned also seemed to impact leaders’ wealth, with those owning at least 16 slaves having a net worth of $3.93 million higher than those who didn’t.
Congress members’ wealth has been linked to ancestors who owned slaves more than 150 years ago, a new study revealed
Slavery was legal until 1865 and reports have revealed that leading up to the Civil War, between 20 and 50 percent of Americans living in Confederate states were slaveowners.
‘Most Americans believe slavery continues to influence the position of Black people in society today,’ researchers from the University of Pennsylvania and Case Western Reserve University wrote in the study.
‘However, no studies have determined the impact of having a slaveholder versus non-slaveholder ancestor on current wealth at an individual level.’
Researchers used the genealogy data from a 2023 Reuters report that looked into political leaders’ ties to slavery.
The study found that 100 out of 535 Congress members were descendants of slave owners which were made up of eight percent of Democrats and 28 percent of Republicans.
Among the legislators related to slaveholders are Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Massachusetts) and Republican Senator Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky).
Warren has an estimated net worth of $10.2 million and the study found that her direct ancestor John Crawford enslaved 14 people five generations earlier in about 1849.
‘The legacy of slavery still casts a long shadow over every facet of American life, including Congress,’ Warren previously told Reuters.
‘While we cannot change the past, I am fighting in the Senate to address systemic injustices — through word, deed, law and policy.’
Likewise, McConnell’s ancestor Joseph Farrington enslaved 12 people four generations before him in about 1860 and the senator now has an estimated net worth of roughly $48 million.
Others included Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-New Hampshire), whose ancestor Archibald Crawford enslaved 10, has a net worth of $2.87 million and Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina), whose ancestor Joseph Maddox enslaved eight, has an estimated net worth of $1.3 million.
The study, published in PLOS, looked at Congress members’ ancestry dating back to the nation’s founding in 1776 and linked many to slave owners from between four and eight generations before.
Researchers also took into account factors like age, sex, ethnicity and education but still found that despite the differences, those related to slave owners still showed a higher net worth.
The researchers found that those who were related to slave owners had an average net worth of $1.28 million
Past research has connected slavery to other intergenerational impacts like inequality, poverty, education and life expectancy, but this is the first time it’s been linked to generational wealth.
The team gathered the financial details from members of Congress, who are required to file the information annually and make it available to the public, and estimated the individual’s net worth based on the value of each legislator’s assets and liabilities.
The average age of Congress members whose lineage was traced back to slave owners was nearly 60 years old and about three-quarters were white men, the study said.
The researchers noted that the link couldn’t be extended to the general public because Congress members tend to be wealthier than the average person.
However, they reported that additional research on the subject could help them better understand the connection and address the social wealth disparities between people whose ancestors owned slaves and those who did not.
‘Members of Congress hold significant power to shape policies and set national agendas,’ the researchers said.
‘Understanding the wealth disparities within this influential group can drive conversations about economic equity and motivate legislators to support policies addressing historical injustices.’
