African-American candidates for President of the United States facts for kids
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Many African Americans have run for president of the United States. Some were candidates for major parties, while others ran for smaller parties. The most well-known is U.S. Senator Barack Obama. He was elected president in 2008. He was the first African American to win a presidential election. He was also the first African American to serve as president. He was re-elected in 2012.
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Early Candidates
Frederick Douglass
Frederick Douglass was a famous writer and speaker. He was invited to speak at the 1888 Republican National Convention. During the voting, he received one vote. This made him a symbolic candidate for president. In those days, candidates were chosen by state representatives. Many decisions were made in private meetings. Douglass was not expected to win in 1888. He had also received a vote for a minor party's nomination in 1848.
George Edwin Taylor
In 1904, George Edwin Taylor ran for president. He was the candidate for the National Negro Civil Liberty Party. This was a new party that wanted to help Black voters. At this time, many laws, called "Jim Crow" laws, made life very unfair for Black people. These laws also stopped many Black people from voting.
The National Negro Civil Liberty Party wanted to fight these unfair laws. They also wanted to stop violence against Black people. They asked Taylor to be their presidential candidate. His campaign faced many challenges. The party could not get his name on election ballots in most states. So, any votes he received were not officially counted.
Modern Candidates
Channing E. Phillips
At the 1968 Democratic National Convention, Channing E. Phillips was nominated for president. He was a minister and a leader in the civil rights movement. He received some votes from delegates.
At the same meeting, Julian Bond was nominated for vice president. He was the first African American nominated for that role by a major party. However, Bond was too young to serve. He had to withdraw his name.
Shirley Chisholm
In 1972, Shirley Chisholm made history. She was a U.S. Congresswoman from New York. She ran for the Democratic Party nomination for president. She campaigned in many states. Chisholm won 28 delegates. At the 1972 Democratic National Convention, she ended up with 152 delegates. She was the first Black woman to seek a major party's presidential nomination.
Jesse Jackson
Jesse Jackson ran for president in 1984 and 1988. He was a Democrat. He was the first major-party Black candidate to run nationwide primary campaigns. He also won primary elections in several states. In 1984, he received about 3 million votes in the primaries. In 1988, he got about 7 million votes.
Alan Keyes
In 1992, Alan Keyes received a vote for the Republican presidential nomination. He later became the first African American to run in the Republican presidential primaries in 1996. He did not win any state primaries.
21st Century Candidates
Barack Obama
Barack Obama was born to an American mother and an African father. His mother, Ann Dunham, was from Kansas. His father, Barack Obama Sr., was from Kenya. His parents met in Hawai'i.
Obama became a possible candidate for president after a speech in 2004. He was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2004. In early 2008, he became a strong candidate for the Democratic nomination. He was the first African American to win a major party's nomination for president. He won the election on November 4, 2008. On January 20, 2009, he became the first African-American president. He was re-elected for a second term on November 6, 2012.
Kamala Harris
Other Candidates
Alan Keyes ran for president again in 2000 and 2008.
In 2004, Carol Moseley Braun and Al Sharpton ran in the Democratic primaries. They were not successful.
Herman Cain, a Republican, ran for president in 2012. He gained some attention but later withdrew.
Neurosurgeon Ben Carson ran for the Republican nomination in 2016. He was popular for a while but withdrew after the first "Super Tuesday" primaries.
In 2019, U.S. Senators Kamala Harris and Cory Booker announced their campaigns for the 2020 Democratic nomination. Both later withdrew from the race. Former Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick also joined the race late.
In 2023, U.S. Senator Tim Scott announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination for the 2024 presidential election. He also withdrew before the main voting began.
Impact of Campaigns
African-American presidential candidates have had a big impact. Even if they didn't win, they made sure their voices were heard. They brought important issues into national discussions.
Shirley Chisholm helped open doors for future Black and female candidates. She wanted the Democratic Party to listen more to ordinary people. Chisholm said she was "the candidate of the people of America." Her campaign inspired many women and African Americans to get involved in politics. She showed that it was possible to run for president.
Jesse Jackson built on Chisholm's work. His 1984 campaign aimed to unite different groups of people. This included African Americans, Hispanic people, and women. He wanted to challenge unfair policies. Jackson's campaign helped register nearly 2 million new voters. This expanded the Democratic Party. He also inspired many Black voters to participate for the first time. His campaigns gave him a national platform to share his ideas.
Later, Al Sharpton and Carol Moseley Braun ran in 2004. Moseley Braun was the only African American woman elected to the U.S. Senate. She encouraged women to seek powerful positions. Both Sharpton and Moseley Braun used their campaigns to speak about equal rights. They participated in national debates. They also spoke at the Democratic Convention.
On the Republican side, Alan Keyes ran to focus his party on social issues. He received a lot of media attention.
African-American candidates run for many reasons. Some believe they can win. Others want to influence national debates and push for specific policies. Often, it's a mix of both. They have all helped shape the political landscape.
See also
- African-American heritage of presidents of the United States
- List of African-American United States Senate candidates
