Upon the Ruins of Liberty: Slavery, the President's House at Independence National Historical Park, and Public Memory

by Roger C. Aden

The 2002 revelation that George Washington kept slaves in his executive mansion at Philadelphia's Independence National Historical Park in the 1790s prompted an eight-year controversy about the role of slavery in America's commemorative landscape. When the President's House installation opened in 2010, it became the first federal property to feature a slave memorial.
 
In Upon the Ruins of Liberty, Roger Aden offers a compelling account that explores the development of this important historic site and how history, space, and public memory intersected with contemporary racial politics. Aden constructs this engrossing tale by drawing on archival material and interviews with principal figures in the controversy-including historian Ed Lawler, site activist Michael Coard, and site designer Emanuel Kelly.
 
Upon the Ruins of Liberty chronicles the politically-charged efforts to create a fitting tribute to the place where George Washington (and later, John Adams) shaped the presidency while denying freedom to the nine enslaved Africans in his household. From design to execution, the plans prompted advocates to embrace stories informed by race, and address difficulties that included how to handle the results of the site excavation. As such, this landmark project raised concerns and provided lessons about the role of public memory and how places are made to shape the nation's identity.

Genres: History

264 pages, Hardcover

First published December 19, 2014

Reviews

[E.G. Williams · Rating 1 out of 5]

One thing is for sure, this book is quite successful in stretching 1 sentence out for THIRTY PAGES. Felt like a nail was being hammered into my forehead 1 little tap at a time trying to plow through these chapters. It could have been so interesting, and yet, it was not. Maybe the first paragraph of each chapter, but after that, nothing new was said until the next chapter.

[Jessica Nelsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although it was sometimes a little too philosophical for my taste (especially when attempting to explain public reactions to commemoration and public memory sites) this was a mostly enjoyable read. Aden makes an elegant argument for the need for diverse public memory sites in this case study of the President's House.