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Title details for The Invisibles by Jesse Holland - Available

The Invisibles

The Untold Story of African American Slaves in the White House

by Jesse Holland
JD Jackson
Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
Borrow Listen to a sample Listen to a sample
1 of 1 copy available
Jesse J. Holland's The Invisibles is the first book to tell the story of the executive mansion's most unexpected residents, the African American slaves who lived with the U.S. presidents who owned them. Interest in African Americans and the White House are at an all-time high due to the historic presidency of Barack Obama and the soon-to-be-opened Smithsonian National Museum of African American Culture and History.
The Invisibles chronicles the African American presence inside the White House from its beginnings in 1782 until 1862, when president Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation that granted slaves their freedom. During these years, slaves were the only African Americans to whom the most powerful men in the United States were exposed on a daily, and familiar, basis. By hearing about these often-intimate relationships, listeners will better understand some of the views that various presidents held about class and race in American society, and how these slaves contributed not only to the life and comforts of the presidents they served but to America as a whole.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    February 2, 2016

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781494596422
      • File size: 232285 KB
      • Duration: 08:03:55

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Narrator J.D. Jackson's deep, resonant voice melds seamlessly with this book. When Americans think about slavery, most envision field hands picking cotton under a broiling Southern sun. This audiobook brings home the fact that the African-Americans seen on a daily basis by the first 12 presidents of our nation were White House slaves. Using documents and historical records, the author, a reporter, recounts a fascinating and troubling history. Jackson varies his voice to capture individual characters and their stories. At times, if the action warrants, he shifts to a more breathless pace or makes his tone more urgent. The result is good, solid history that should be widely heard. R.I.G. © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine
    • Publisher's Weekly

      December 14, 2015
      In this powerful follow-up to 2007's Black Men Built the Capitol, Holland, Washington correspondent for the Associated Press, shares the story of the slaves who worked inside the White House from its early years until President Lincoln's 1862 Emancipation Proclamation. Holland makes sure to note that 12 out of the first 18 American presidents owned slaves, putting them to work as cooks, butlers, maids, body servants, and doormen. Among Holland's superb slave portraits are several standouts, including those of William Lee (enslaved by George Washington), Oney Judge (Martha Washington), Sally Hemings (Thomas Jefferson), Paul Jennings (James Madison), and Elias Polk (James K. Polk)âwho later partnered with the southern Democratic Party in defending the rights of white elites. Holland effectively captures the financial and political history of slavery, federal laws regarding fugitive slaves, race mixing, anxieties over slave revolts, and the rigid skin colorâbased caste system of house and field help. Holland's account of slaves who built and sustained the White House answers many hard historical questions, and it reveals how little tribute has been given to the enslaved persons who contributed extensively to the functioning of early American institutions.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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