A House Built by Slaves

African American Visitors to the Lincoln White House

By: Jonathan W. White

Narrated by: Jesse Lipscombe

Length: 9 hrs and 31 mins

Publisher's summary

An award-winning look at Lincoln and Race

Widely praised and winner of the 2023 Gilder Lehrman Lincoln Prize, this book illuminates why Lincoln’s unprecedented welcoming of African American men and women to the White House transformed the trajectory of race relations in the United States. From his 1862 meetings with Black Christian ministers, Lincoln began inviting African Americans of every background into his home, from ex-slaves from the Deep South to champions of abolitionism such as Frederick Douglass and Sojourner Truth.

More than a good-will gesture, the president conferred with his guests about the essential issues of citizenship and voting rights. Drawing from an array of primary sources, White reveals how African Americans used the White House as a national stage to amplify their calls for equality. Even more than 160 years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation, Lincoln’s inclusion of African Americans remains a necessary example in a country still struggling from racial divisions today.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2022 Jonathan W. White (P)2023 Post Hypnotic Press Inc.

A Different View on History

This was very informative and showed how African Americans thought of Lincoln when they met him through their own words. Most of the testimonies were positive and therefore show Lincoln in a positive light. I liked how this book showed how the country looked throughout Lincoln’s life and after. It’s important to learn about such a pivotal point in our nation’s history from the people who were affected most.

Myriad narrators bring history to life and flesh out an American legend with quotes from his contemporaries!

An easily accessible historical account narrated by multiple individuals; full of quotes of contemporaries of Abraham Lincoln that record the fledgling Union as it wrestles with its limited interpretation of life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness for all men who are created equal. A timely book, as some of the racist sentiments are echoed in actions and words of the living in this great nation. Jonathan White uncovers accounts and facts I'd never read or heard about before. A powerful read for anyone wanting to better understand the foundation of dissent between the North and the South. The variety of narrators lending voices to the quotes helped bring this text to life.

Co-winner of the Gilder Lehrman Lincoln prize.

I downloaded this book after it won the Gilder Lehrman Lincoln prize. I was expecting it to be a tad skewed toward right-wing ideology, but found it to be a relatively balanced account. At first, I was a bit shocked by the use of the "n" word. The "n" word is not censored in any of the accounts from the Civil War era. I nearly returned the book, but then I decided to give it another hour or so. I grew to appreciate this unusual - for today - choice, as it illustrated in a visceral way the racism Black Americans encountered. Others may disagree, but for me, not censoring the "n" word really brought home the viciousness of the racism Black Americans faced.

White's book isn't a biography or another analysis of how he conducted the Civil War. Instead, it focuses on the various African American men and women Lincoln welcomed into the White House - some invited, some arriving uninvited - providing very detailed accounts about these visits and meetings. Jonathan also includes various mentions of these meetings in the press.

These meetings and visits are the heart and soul of this book. These interactions played a crucial role in the evolution of Lincoln's attitudes towards Blacks, emancipation, the inclusion of Blacks in the army, etc. As much as possible, Johnson used the original accounts in the visitors own words. The narrator has done a pretty good job of portraying so many different characters and giving them each a unique voice. Obviously, we don't know what many of these people really sounded like, and a few of the characters are bit heavy handed. On the other hand, Lincoln's voice, which contemporaries described as high and reedy, wasn't made to sound as bad as contemporaries describe it. The narrator has a lovely deep voice and has a facility with accents. The overall effect is entertaining and kept my attention.

As one Goodreads reviewer pointed out: "...be aware of one important aspect White points out early on: when reading, don't judge Lincoln according to present-day standards. Lincoln must be viewed in the context of his times. Only then can it be seen just how radical Lincoln actually was for his time. That is why, following his death and the end of Reconstruction, the White House was never again so open to African American visitors until the mid-20th century."

new look

A House Built by Slaves: African American Visitors to the Lincoln White House
by Jonathan W. White
A philosophical and historical look at first person accounts of the life and times of Abraham Lincoln. The problem of historical understanding of events is that it can change with the concept of the time. The prejudice and usage of political ideology can change the observation of history. Current ideology about Lincoln has been fluid. Some of the conceptions and misconceptions about Lincoln, and his white house is controversial, and contradictory. Many of the disruptions in his history come from the fluid nature of racial interactions. Stories printed directly in his times, or just after his murder are different from those during racial equality, or during the race problems after covid. The difference can be the miss conception of Lincoln and his polices, or just the misconceptions of the people he interacted with at his time. The great emancipator has been loved and villainized by many in the times since his death. Many of these contradictions are addressed in this book, going from first sources as much as possible. The author brings a compelling look at Lincoln's time, how he was viewed in office and how political ideals and interest influence the viewers of his time.

impeccably researched

First, I want to start with what I loved, which was the audiobook format. If you are going to read this, please consider choosing the audiobook format. This featured what sounded like a cast of Black voices reading quotes. It was delightful, and I adored it. What a wonderful way to illustrate the mostly lost voices of these folks. I also want to say that while I do not agree with the author, all of the history is thoroughly sourced. It is wonderful for the quotes alone from the Civil War era, Black folks. I can not stress how much hearing their own words spoken touched me. I fully plan to read more by this author when I get to my studies of Abraham Lincoln. I don't think the author meant any malice as he left the final impression of Lincoln up to the reader. I feel he does this by excusing Lincoln's racist statements and behaviors as either misunderstood by modern audiences or said to influence his racist white peers. I disagree with this view of his behaviors. It gives Lincoln too much grace and doesn't acknowledge that white supremacy has never functioned in logical ways.
The problem with this book is its implication that Black Lives Matter and other anit-racist activist organizations were shortsighted to call Abraham Lincoln racist or a supporter of white supremacy. This argument includes the idea that historical figures can not or should not be judged with today's morals.
The text began with this quote, "In January 2021, the San Francisco Unified School District voted to rename Abraham Lincoln High School because of the former president’s policies toward Native Americans and African Americans According to Jeremiah Jeffries,..., “Lincoln, like the presidents before him and most after, did not show through policy or rhetoric that black lives ever mattered to them outside of human capital and as casualties of wealth building."
This book is mostly a response to the above quote via direct quotes from Black folks who met with Lincoln from 1861-1865; shaking his hands and casual greetings. The author thinks this changed Lincoln's view of Black folks. I do believe that Black Leaders who met with Lincoln influenced him, but that isn't an indication that Lincoln didn't hold racist and white supremacist beliefs.
Black Lives Matter and other anti-racist activist organizations label Lincoln racist based on this quote "I am not, nor ever have been, in favor of bringing about in any way the social and political equality of the white and black races ... I am not nor ever have been in favor of making voters or jurors of Negroes, nor of qualifying them to hold office, nor to intermarry with white people; and I will say in addition to this that there is a physical difference between the white and black races which I believe will forever forbid the two races from living together on terms of social and political equality. And inasmuch as they cannot so live, while they do remain together there must be a position of superior and inferior, and I as much as any other man am in favor of having the superior position assigned to the white race."
Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines: racism as: 1) a belief that race is a fundamental determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race
white supremacy as: 1) the belief that the white race is inherently superior to other races and that white people should have control over people of other races.
Neither Lincoln shaking the hands of Black folks nor listening to the concerns of Black Leaders alters these indisputable facts.
After Lincoln was assassinated, a propagandist rather than a historically accurate narrative was applied to Abraham Lincoln as The Great Emancipator in the Black community, heavily supported by Black Leaders. Current Black historians see Lincoln in a different light. This doesn't mean that Black folks or other POC who view him based on the oppressive experiences of their ancestors are wrong. History told from multiple viewpoints, even when they seem to conflict, in the end offers a richer view of an era.
My other concern was the author's use of moral relativism. In my opinion, this justification is overly used to excuse Western European colonial behaviors, often based on the ahistorical belief that 'everyone' thought like that at the time and thinking/behaving oppressively was just normal. I assure you the people being oppressed were not happy to be oppressed and did not agree with the oppressors' acts of oppression, no matter the people or the era. Moral relativism effectively silences POC opinions on the treatment of their own ancestors.
I could gather a bunch of quotes from Black Trump supporters about how he shook their hands and treated them kindly. It will not change the fact that Trump has made deeply racist and white supremacist statements.
Thank you to Post Hypnotic Press Audiobooks and Netgalley for the opportunity to read/listen to and review this history book.