In GOP response to Biden, Sen. Scott says America is 'not a racist country

[Maeve]

25. About that "Cotton to Congress" line.....

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/04/23/tim-scott-often-talks-about-his-grandfather-cotton-theres-more-tale/

Our research reveals a more complex story than what Scott tells audiences. Scott’s grandfather’s father was also a substantial landowner — and Scott’s grandfather, Artis Ware, worked on that farm. Scott’s family history in South Carolina offers a fascinating window into a little-known aspect of history in the racist South following the Civil War and in the immediate aftermath of slavery — that some enterprising Black families purchased property as a way to avoid sharecropping and achieve a measure of independence from White-dominated society.
The Facts

Notwithstanding inconsistencies in the ages listed, we believe we located Lawrence Ware, who was born in 1861, in the 1870 census and the 1880 census. His father, who is listed as not being able to read or write, was a farmer and Lawrence is listed as a field hand in the 1880 census. When we fast forward to the 1910 census, Lawrence Ware is recorded as owning his ow n farm and a home without a mortgage. He is able to read and write. He and his wife have nine children, including Willie Ware, Scott’s great-grandfather.