Sugar, Slavery, and the Washington China - White House Historical Association

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Enslaved and Entrenched

Elias Polk was born into slavery in 1806 on a farm owned by Samuel Polk, father of the future president of...
Paul Jennings

Paul Jennings was born in 1799 at Montpelier, the Virginia estate of James and Dolley Madison. His mother, an enslaved woman...
The Williams Family

In 1818, John Gadsby was assessed and taxed for owning thirty-six enslaved individuals in Baltimore—including two young women named “Maria” and “K...
Plantations & Politics

Speaking before the United States House of Representatives in 1825, congressman James K. Polk described American slavery as “a matter which re...
The Formerly Enslaved Household of the Grant Family

Women are often overlooked in history for their role in the institution of slavery. First Lady Julia Dent Grant, wife...
Enslaved Workers on the White House Grounds

Uncovering the lives of enslaved people poses many challenges. Because enslaved people were denied the right of literacy, as a...
The Formerly Enslaved Households of President Andrew Johnson

Andrew Johnson’s close association with Abraham Lincoln, as both his vice president and his successor, often disguises Johnson’s own...
The Enslaved Households of President James Monroe

Considered the last “Founding Father” president, James Monroe was born in 1758 into an affluent, slave owning family in Westmoreland County, Virg...
Emancipation Day in Washington, D.C.

Congress passed the Compensated Emancipation Act to end slavery in the District of Columbia and President Abraham Lincoln signed the...
Nancy Syphax – Life and Legacy

Nancy Syphax was a member of a prominent Washington, D.C. family that was considered to be among the “Black El...
The Slave Quarters at Decatur House

Nestled in the heart of Washington, D.C., Lafayette Park attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors every year. From school...
The Enslaved Households of President Martin Van Buren

While many tend to think that slavery was strictly a “southern” issue, this system of racial captivity and exploitation existed acro...