We know that Barack Obama Sr. died young, disappointed about many things. One of them, I have to imagine, was that his education at Harvard was cut short. Until now, it has typically been said that he "gave up" his doctoral studies, but this file makes it clear that he was never given a choice about leaving Cambridge. Who knows how his life might have turned out if he had been allowed to stay? Maybe he would have become an economics professor at some Northeastern liberal arts college, maybe he would have played a little more of a role in his son's life, and maybe his son would have never written Dreams From My Father, which would have been too bad, because it is a fantastic book and an unparalleled source of insight into the president's personal history and character.At the the very least the file kept by the Immigration and Naturalization Service further confirms that the President's father was indeed married tohis mother and that the President was born in Hawaii. (In case there is still any doubt!!!)
For all the personal anguish described in that memoir, things turned out just fine for Barack Obama Jr. But we can't say the same for his father, who ended his life a disillusioned alcoholic, believing that he had been the victim of immense injustices. From reading this file, I think he had a pretty good case against the U.S. government.
Was Barack Obama Sr. 'eased' out of Harvard, and America, for dating white women? | Capital New York
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