# Beethoven was a black man (?) **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 7, 2001, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beethoven-was-a-black-man/75330 "2001-08-07T18:42:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freddy_the_Pig)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2003, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beethoven-was-a-black-man/75330/41 "2003-05-24T16:39:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by tomndebb \* > **I would not be at all surprised to discover that Harding accepted an honorary membership in the Klan (played out in a publicity stunt in the Oval Office or Green Room), based on a notion that it was simply a good thing to be associated with this rising “American” movement.** I would. One of the foremost historians of the 1920’s, Robert Murray, had this to say about Harding and the Klan: > [@](#): > > The (Republican) party’s general class structure and composition made it less susceptible to racism and to Klan infiltration, especially at the national level. Consequently the top Republican leadership never had to be as solicitous of the Klan as the Democrats . . . Harding, while President, denounced the Klan, charging it with “misguided zeal and unreasoning malice” and claiming that it confused “secret fraternity” with “secret conspiracy”. Harding’s Attorney General even announced that the Justice Department, if asked, would help investigate all infringements by the Klan on the First, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and Fourteenth Amendments." Warren Harding was never a member of the Klan, did not support the Klan in any way, shape or form, and was not supported by the Klan. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2003, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beethoven-was-a-black-man/75330/42 "2003-05-24T17:09:10Z")
> [@](#): > > Warren Harding was never a member of the Klan, did not support the Klan in any way, shape or form, and was not supported by the Klan. That tends to make more sense, based on what I knew of him. (And which is why I also noted that “I would also not be too surprised to discover that the event was a fictional claim by Klan supporters and never really happened.”) OTOH, I would be interested in knowing where the claim that he joined the Klan originated. (Not that I don’t think that someone could have invented the incident, but those idiots are more likely to twist a real event than to have the imagination to invent one.) ---
**Author:** ![Apollon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e47774/32.png) [@Apollon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apollon)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2003, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beethoven-was-a-black-man/75330/43 "2003-05-24T17:52:42Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Spyderman \* > \*\*My question, then, rephrased, is would Beethoven, by _today’s_ standards, be classified as Caucasian, African-American, or Other (say mix)? \*\* Beethoven was an American? 😕 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2003, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beethoven-was-a-black-man/75330/44 "2003-05-24T20:34:02Z")
Also, wasn’t the Klan in the twenties going after Jews, Catholics and other immigrants as well as blacks? ---
**Author:** ![Blake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@Blake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blake)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2013, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beethoven-was-a-black-man/75330/46 "2013-11-18T22:55:26Z")
Was Beethoven a zombie? ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2013, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beethoven-was-a-black-man/75330/47 "2013-11-18T23:14:51Z")
Reported post by **MikeNassau** as spam. (BTW, I’m not sure if Beethoven is a zombie, but he is decomposing.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beethoven-was-a-black-man/75330.md?page=2)