>>> <uswatl at ibm.net> 11/15 5:04 PM >>>
My great-grandfather John Charles Fremont Lehman a member of the Pennsylvania branch of the Tammany Society was a regular participant in taking foreign immigrants to see a judge who was a friend of his who would grant the immigrant American citizenship. The judge would however require the immigrant to answer one question about America.
On one occassion my great-grandad took an immigrant into see his friend the judge. The judge as usual had to ask the immigrant a question. The judge asked, "when did George Washington die?" The startled immigrant said, " goddamn son of a bitch I didn't know he died." At that point my great grandfather had to explain to the judge that the George Washington the immigrant was thinking of was a colored man that he knew. That explained the judge granted the immigrant his citizenship. I have left a few of the more colorful details of this true story out. ___________
Claiming George Washington for colored people.
Charles Brown