The Black History of the White House

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Overview

Official Histories of the United States have almost universally ignored the fact that 25 percent of all U.S. presidents were slaveholders, and that black people were held in bondage in the White House itself. And while the nation was born under the banner of "freedom and justice for all," many colonists only risked rebelling against England in order to protect their lucrative slave business from the growing threat of British abolitionism. These historical facts, commonly excluded from schoolbooks and popular version of American history, have profoundly shaped the course of race relations in the United States.

In this unprecedented work, Clarence Lusane ...

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More About This Book

Overview

Official Histories of the United States have almost universally ignored the fact that 25 percent of all U.S. presidents were slaveholders, and that black people were held in bondage in the White House itself. And while the nation was born under the banner of "freedom and justice for all," many colonists only risked rebelling against England in order to protect their lucrative slave business from the growing threat of British abolitionism. These historical facts, commonly excluded from schoolbooks and popular version of American history, have profoundly shaped the course of race relations in the United States.

In this unprecedented work, Clarence Lusane presents a comprehensive history of the White House from an African American perspective. Here are the stories of those who were forced to work on the construction of the mansion at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue and the determined leaders who pressured U.S. presidents to outlaw slavery; White House slaves, servants and Secret Service agents; black artists and intellectuals invited to the White House; Washington insiders who rose to the highest levels of power; community leaders who waged presidential campaigns, and many others. Juxtaposing significant events in White House history with the ongoing struggle for civil rights, Clarence Lusane makes plain that the White House has always been a prism through which to view the social struggles and progress of black Americans.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly
Lusane (Colin Powell and Condoleeza Rice) returns to the nation's highest office in his latest work, tracing the seldom-revealed contributions of black men and women in the White House, from the days of its construction to the present. He meticulously threads personal stories of slaves, builders, chefs, jazz performers, policymakers, and other historic figures (accompanied by occasional portraits) with sharp analyses of leaders facing the criticism and challenges of their times. Whether considering slave-owning presidents who publicly skirted their participation in the practice, exploring Emancipation, Reconstruction, the Civil Rights movement and its aftermath, or discussing contemporary instances, like the Beer Summit, and questioning whether the Obama presidency signals a post-racial era, Lusane offers a vital addition to American history. The thorough density with which he approaches his subject may slow the pace, but scholars will find an intelligent account of one the most controversial and revered seats of power. Lusane's effort is much more than a catchy title or revisionist tome: it's an eye-opening tribute and a provocative reminder of the many narratives that have gone untold. Photos. (Jan.)
Booklist
Despite the racial progress represented by the election of the first black president of the U.S., the nation's capital has a very complicated and often unflattering racial history. Lusane traces the racial history of the White House from George Washington to Barack Obama.
More Reviews (9) Fewer Reviews
Rethinking Schools
"The Obamas were the first African American first family, but not the first residents. This thoroughly researched and gripping book shares the untold stories of some of the people who were enslaved by U.S. presidents, including stories of resistance and escape. Lusane describes the myriad ways that the White House and the lives of African Americans have been intertwined throughout U.S. history. This is the only book to document this essential story in our country’s history."
Sacramento Bee
"In eloquent language, Lusane shows how the African American experience helped shape a series of presidential administrations and governmental policies."
The Boston Globe
The White House was built with slave labor and at least six US presidents owned slaves during their time in office. With these facts, Clarence Lusane, a political science professor at American University, opens 'The Black History of the White House'(City Lights), a fascinating story of race relations that plays out both on the domestic front and the international stage. As Lusane writes, 'The Lincoln White House resolved the issue of slavery, but not that of racism.' Along with the political calculations surrounding who gets invited to the White House are matters of musical tastes and opinionated first ladies, ingredients that make for good storytelling.
The Chicago Sun Times
"The author concludes from his research that there is little doubt the first African American in the White House was a slave. In fact, 25 percent of our presidents were slaveholders. And between the time of slavery and now — with our nation's first black president — there is a long and storied history of blacks in the White House, from servants to lobbyists to Secret Service agents, reporters, activists, officials and more."
The Observer's "Very Short List"
"Lusane is an elegant, impassioned writer, and the book—which is full of stories we'd never encountered in American History 101—is totally engrossing. . . . This is a serious, necessary book . . . "
The Philadelphia Tribune
"Clarence Lusane presents a comprehensive — yet untold — history of the White House from an African American perspective. In illuminating the central role Blacks played in this country's history, Lusane charts the course of race relations in the Untied States.

"'The Black History of the White House' features stories of those who were forced to work on the construction of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. and the White House slaves and servants who went on to write books. Readers hear from the Secret Service agents who were harassed by their peers to the Washington insiders who rose to the highest levels of power and behind-the-scenes with Black artists and intellectuals invited to the White House."

USA Today
"Those who think they know their presidents may be in for surprises in Clarence Lusane's fascinating social history that begins: 'More than one in four U.S. presidents were involved in human trafficking and slavery. These presidents bought, sold, bred and enslaved black people for profit. Of the 12 presidents who were enslavers, more than half kept people in bondage at the White House.' Lusane, an American University professor, weaves in stories of people like Paul Jennings, born into slavery on James Madison's farm, who at 10 was a White House footman and in 1865 wrote the first White House memoir, A Colored Man's Reminiscences of James Madison."
Library Journal
Lusane (Sch. of International Service, American Univ.; Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice) offers a comprehensive and well-documented account of African Americans who have graced the White House as builders, slaves, servants, entertainers, policy professionals, and finally as the nation's First Family. Lusane offers detailed accounts of black experiences at the White House, and in many cases his precise personal histories of these African Americans provide material not readily available in other secondary sources. However, as is the case with Kenneth T. Walsh's Family of Freedom (see below), Lusane devotes too many pages to analysis of the Obama campaign and presidency. VERDICT While any book about blacks and the White House must pay tribute to the nation's first black President, dwelling on the intricacies of Obama's election and his first two years in office detracts from the great wealth of unfamiliar history that is also presented here. Nonetheless, this is an important work of historical scholarship, bringing together chronicles of the African Americans who have played major roles in the annals of the presidential mansion.—Robert Bruce Slater, Stroudsburg, PA
Kirkus Reviews

Comprehensive, decidedly non-neutral, history of the African-American presence in American political life through perhaps its most representative place.

"The black history of the White House," writes scholar and journalist Lusane (Political Science/American Univ.; Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice: Foreign Policy, Race, and the New American Century, 2006, etc.), "begins in the pre-revolutionary period, during which future occupants of the White House first laid the foundation of what was to become more than two-centuries of race-based cruelty, exclusion, and violence." That sentence speaks directly to the outlook of this book, which carefully documents the travails of a polity in which African-Americans were so essential and prevalent, but that struggled endlessly to maintain, then dismantle, the institution of slavery, and then could never quite accept the notion that all people are created equal—an idea put to pen by Thomas Jefferson even as his slave Richard "quietly brought him his nightly tea." Lusane is unsparing. In his analysis, an icon such as Dolley Madison is found deeply wanting for having reneged on her promise to free her "mulatto man Paul," instead selling him at a bargain price—even after he had paid her to secure his freedom. The author capably uses the tools of sociology and history, but he seems most at home at the intersection of politics and popular culture. He writes engagingly of the long tradition of African-American opera stars appearing at the White House through the presidency of Theodore Roosevelt, a tradition revived only during Franklin Roosevelt's first administration; and of the later tradition of jazz performances at the White House, one that only George H.W. Bush did not observe (though son George W. Bush did). Lusane closes with a consideration of African-American efforts to secure a political place within the White House, from Marcus Garvey to Shirley Chisholm, Dick Gregory, Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson and, of course, Barack Obama.

A lively, opinionated survey, telling a story that the textbooks too often overlook.

Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9780872865327
  • Publisher: City Lights Books
  • Publication date: 1/1/2011
  • Pages: 544
  • Sales rank: 113,501
  • Series: City Lights Open Media
  • Product dimensions: 6.40 (w) x 7.98 (h) x 1.18 (d)

Meet the Author

Dr. Lusane is a columnist for the Black Voices syndicated news network. He has published in Washington Post, Miami Herald, Baltimore Sun, Oakland Tribune, Black Scholar, Race and Class, and many more. He often appears on PBS, BET, C-SPAN and other national media. Author of several books and former editor of Black Political Agenda, he teaches at Howard University.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Black People, White Houses 15

Chapter 1 A Declaration of Independence and Racism: Founding Documents, Founding Fathers, and the Preservation of Slavery 35

Prelude: "Oney's White House Story

Chapter 2 The Presidents House in the Home of the Abolitionist Movement 77

Prelude: Hercules' White House Story

Chapter 3 A White House Built On and With Slavery 103

Prelude: Peter's White House Story

Chapter 4 Closed Doors: The White House and Presidents of Slavery 131

Prelude: Paul Jennings's White House Story

Chapter 5 The White House Goes to War: Rebellion, Reconstruction and Retrenchment 169

Prelude: Elizabeth Keckly's White House Story

Chapter 6 James Crow's White House 219

Prelude: Booker T. Washington's White House Story

Chapter 7 The 1960s and the Crisis of Power: The White House and Black Mobilization 279

Prelude: Abraham Bolden's White House Story

Chapter 8 Black Challenges to the White House The Campaigns to Make the White House Black 349

Prelude: Marcus Garvey's White House Story

Chapter 9 The Latest Political Milestone: The Obamas in the White House 413

Prelude: Michelle Obama's White House Story

Notes 482

Bibliography 523

Index 541

About the Author 573

Customer Reviews

Average Rating 4.5
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Sort by: Showing all of 3 Customer Reviews

  • Anonymous

    Posted December 6, 2011

    A unique perspective and long overdue

    Compare and Contrast with PBS Series of "UpStairs/DownStairs", and "Downton Abbey" from an African-American perspective. The book could also be utilized in Labor Relations discussions. I am suggesting it to my bookclub to add to our list for review and discussion.I think it has more appeal to over fifty retired working women.I could see this story becoming a HBO movie also.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted December 6, 2011

    I just love this book, put in my library

    This is just a great book, well researched and very informative. History has omitted a lot of contributions Blacks have made and this adds to the list.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted December 6, 2011

    Lots of interesting facts and stories

    The book was was very interesting and quite informative, especially if you are into black history and/or politics.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.
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