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The Slavery in the President’s Neighborhood research initiative tells the stories of the enslaved and free African Americans who built, lived, and worked at the White House, as well as the surrounding homes on Lafayette Park. While there are few written accounts of their experiences, their voices can be found in letters, newspapers, memoirs, census records, architecture, and oral histories. By connecting these details from diverse sources, the White House Historical Association seeks to return these individuals to the historical forefront, intertwining their stories with the lives of the presidents, first ladies, and first families.
Compiled by the White House Historical Association. Please credit the Association by its full name when using this information.
Below is a sampling of articles from the initiative. Click here to view the full initiative and its resources.
Please direct your inquiries to , press@whha.org
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The White House Historical Association is launching “Slavery in the President’s Neighborhood” on February 3, a new ongoing research initiative to tel...
Slave or Enslaved?—A Note On LanguageYou may be wondering about the terms used in the Slavery in the President’s Ne...
Below you will find a list of all known enslaved people who were associated with the White House. This list...
The institution of slavery and the stories of enslaved people have always been a part of the fabric of White...
The White House is a symbol of freedom and democracy, but from its very conception it had a paradoxical relationship...
When First Lady Michelle Obama delivered this powerful statement during a speech before the Democratic National Convention on July 25, 2016, she...
On April 16, 1789, George Washington left his home at Mount Vernon to travel to New York City to be inaugurated as...
On April 21, 1789, John Adams took the oath of office to become the first Vice President of the United States. Over...
These powerful words open the preamble to the Declaration of Independence, the document by which the Second Continental Congress announced...
In a single week in early 1801, James Madison experienced two major life events. On February 27, his father James Madison Sr....
Considered the last “Founding Father” president, James Monroe was born in 1758 into an affluent, slave owning family in Westmoreland County, Virg...
Of the first seven U.S. presidents, John Quincy Adams (JQA) and his father John Adams were the only two...
In January 1829, less than two months before he became president, Andrew Jackson ordered an inventory of his slaves. The inventory...
While many tend to think that slavery was strictly a “southern” issue, this system of racial captivity and exploitation existed acro...
Born to an affluent family in 1790, John Tyler spent most of his life in Charles City County, Virginia. He was...
Like many other slave owning presidents, James K. Polk maintained a different public position on slavery during his presidency (1845-1849)...
Born in 1784, Zachary Taylor grew up on a plantation in Virginia. His father, Richard Taylor, was an officer in the...
On a bright March 4, 1861, Abraham Lincoln took office as President of the United States “entirely ignorant not only of the du...
Andrew Johnson’s close association with Abraham Lincoln, as both his vice president and his successor, often disguises Johnson’s own...
Women are often overlooked in history for their role in the institution of slavery. First Lady Julia Dent Grant, wife...
For Teachers Classroom Resource Packet: Slavery, Freedom, and the White HouseJames Madison's Montpelier: Fate in the BalanceThe Enslaved Household of...
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