A Slave in the White House
Paul Jennings and the Madisons

Long-time readers of my reviews know that I admire a well-researched book. "A Slave in the White House" is just such a book. Elizabeth Dowling Taylor's book about Paul Jennings, a man born into slavery on the James and Dolley Madison estate, brings the time period and historical personae to life thro......more

When James Madison died, he still owned about one hundred slaves. He freed none of them, not even Paul Jennings, his valet. Jennings could read and write, and in fact published the first White House memoir, declaring that Madison was "one of the best men who ever lived." Modern biographers of Madiso......more

Everyone knows that slavery was evil, but Elizabeth Dowling Taylor's book A Slave in the White House explores the role of this evil in the heart of the American political system. This book tells of Paul Jennings, who worked for President Madison and who eventually purchased his freedom. It is an unf......more

I liked the opening of the story where we are introduced to Paul Jennings who was born as a slave on the future President James Madison's plantation. There was a striking contrast drawn between the slave, Paul whose family had been at Montpelier for the third and fourth generation and the son of Jam......more

This book will unfortunately have limited appeal because of its scholarly approach and necessary supposition of much of Paul Jennings' life. I received it from Amazon Vine. He was born at Montpelier, James and Dolley Madison's home in Virginia. His mother was Dolley's maid and Paul was mullato so he......more