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The Invisibles: The Untold Story of African American Slaves in the White House

Jesse J. Holland

3.70 · Rating details · 415 ratings · 68 reviews

THE INVISIBLES: Slavery Inside The White House and How It Helped Shape America is the first book to tell the story of the executive mansion's most unexpected residents, the African American slaves who lived with the U.S. presidents who owned them. Interest in African Americans and the White House are at an all-time high due to the historic presidency of Barack Obama, and t ...more

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Hardcover, 256 pages

Published January 1st 2016 by Lyons Press

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Feb 13, 2018 Lois rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: african-diaspora-interest, u-s-history, african-american-historical, non-fiction, books-i-read-in-2018, historical, kindle-unlimited-or-scribd, person-of-color-author, politics, black-books

My favorite chapter was on Slave Rebellions. Decent and interesting if a bit light. My only complaint would be the author's apparent misunderstanding of consensual sex with rape. Enslaved Peoples are unable to consent to sex with persons in a position of ownership or management. Someone who has the power to free an Enslaved Person and their offspring in perpetuity has too much power for consent to mean anything. After all Enslaved Peoples were enslaved without their consent. ...more

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Nov 22, 2015 Jessica rated it liked it

Shelves: netgalley

The portions of this book based on documented fact were fascinating. The chapters on the slaves of Andrew Jackson and Andrew Johnson I found particularly well researched and compelling. The chapters covering the earliest slave residents of the White House, however, I found less compelling, since (as with most information from that time period) fewer reliable primary source documents existed and there was a larger amount of supposition.

I have two gripes about the book. The first is redundancies, The portions of this book based on documented fact were fascinating. The chapters on the slaves of Andrew Jackson and Andrew Johnson I found particularly well researched and compelling. The chapters covering the earliest slave residents of the White House, however, I found less compelling, since (as with most information from that time period) fewer reliable primary source documents existed and there was a larger amount of supposition.

I have two gripes about the book. The first is redundancies, which may be useful for someone using this book as a source for research papers and utilizing the index to find what they need as opposed to reading the book cover to cover. Since I read it cover to cover over the course of two days, I found the various repeated passages/facts annoying and a detraction. My second gripe is because of a personal misconception I had about the purpose of the book. I thought the purpose of this book was to relate historical fact, so when the author drew "obvious" conclusions and stated inferences based on personal opinions and subjective criteria as fact in cases where documentation did not exist, the history seeker in me cringed.

For example, by choice of tone and wording the author conveyed (to me) a strong dislike of Dolley Madison, using pejorative phrases and declaring her a liar, a women who kept no faith with her slaves, and a woman willing to plot betrayal against those in her charge. Dolley Madison may indeed have had such a character and deserve the derision of the author and myself, but the damning evidence she ignored James Madison's directive to manumit their slaves upon her death was diminished by the subsequent presentation in the narrative of a clearly inaccurate recollection of a former slave who claimed the former First Lady lied to his mother for apparently no other purpose than having her infant son named Madison. The reason she would desire such a naming was not provided, rather the author dismissed the fact that Dolley Madison was in another state at the time she was supposed to be speaking with the infant's mother and the fact the infant was not present or aware of the conversation as indicators the conversation may never have occurred, and declared that obviously the conversation had occurred six months prior to the claimant's date and went so far as to say the mother was reminded of the perfidy of Dolley Madison every time she was compelled to speak or call her child's name. In my opinion, the case for the faithlessness of Dolley Madison in her treatment of slaves would have been stronger without the inclusion of this unsubstantiated conversation.

However, as previously stated, my second gripe was because of my own misconception. The author made it quite clear in the conclusion the purpose of this book was less a work of history and more a journalistic foray into an oft overlooked portion of early American history. I found it very readable, not at all dry, and quite informative, with the caveat that since the author's purpose was to make a point rather than merely portray facts, not all sides of a story were presented here. I highly recommend it to those interested in early American history and hope (as stated in the author's conclusion) that he does find many more sources and stories of African Slaves in the White House and can release either a 2nd edition of greater scope or a sequel/part II.

Disclaimer: I received a digital galley of this title from the publisher for review purposes, which did not affect my overall rating or recommendation. ...more

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Feb 07, 2016 Jean rated it really liked it

Shelves: history, biography, non-fiction, civil-rights, audio-book, us-history

Each February in honor of the National Black History Month, I read a book by or about African Americans. “The Invisibles” is my choice for 2016. Holland tells the stories of the slaves who worked inside the White House from President Washington until President Lincoln’s 1862 Emancipation Proclamation. The slaves worked as cooks, butlers, maids, body servants, doormen and footmen. Holland provides in-depth stories of some slaves, primarily those that had documented history, such as, George Washin ...more

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May 24, 2016 Antonia rated it liked it

I enjoyed this book, and learned a great deal about a long ignored chapter of our history. The book could have done with better editing - some sections were repetitious, and the author tended to jump back and forth a bit. I learned that the first slaves were brought to Jamestown in 1619 and that they were 2nd and third generation Christians from what we now call Angloa - not at all what I learned in school . There were some factual errors - John Adams and John Quincy Adams were not Quakers.....B ...more

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Oct 25, 2020 William Bahr rated it really liked it

Finally told: the story of our presidents' slaves

I really enjoyed this book! I read it for further research for the next revision of my own book on George Washington’s Liberty (Bastille) Key and found a number of interesting things I didn’t know. Unfortunately, I also found a few errors: (p 3) John Adams was not a Quaker, but originally a Congregationalist and then a Unitarian, with John Quincy Adams also a Unitarian.; (p 12) I am not quite sure that New York City was chosen as the first US capi Finally told: the story of our presidents' slaves

I really enjoyed this book! I read it for further research for the next revision of my own book on George Washington’s Liberty (Bastille) Key and found a number of interesting things I didn’t know. Unfortunately, I also found a few errors: (p 3) John Adams was not a Quaker, but originally a Congregationalist and then a Unitarian, with John Quincy Adams also a Unitarian.; (p 12) I am not quite sure that New York City was chosen as the first US capital because it was the “logical choice” due to its being “largest city in the burgeoning new country” (it had been the capital under the Articles of Confederation since 1785, when it’s quite possible (first official census was 1790) that Philadelphia had been the largest city, Philadelphia being the largest city at least in 1776 (the prime reason why NYC was chosen to be the capital in 1785 was that John Jay insisted upon his home city being the capital as a condition for his becoming Foreign Secretary; thereafter it would seem to remain the capital due to “momentum” until 1790, when the capital moved to Philadelphia for ten years awaiting the completion of the Federal City in Washington, D.C.)); (p 64) Maryland and Virginia didn’t each cede just 10 square miles to Congress (the Federal City was to be 10 miles square (100 square miles)); and (p 65), to be clear, the law-making Congress left it up to "surveyor" Washington to choose the exact site of the capital. As well, there are more than a few ambiguous pronouns, questionable repetitions of previous statements, and assertions about the “White House,” when, at least for Washington, the better term would be “executive mansion.” I list these issues in hopes that the author will correct them in his future (implied in the book) update. If this occurs, I’ll be happy to move this review to 5 stars, especially as (I’ll take the author at his word that) this is the first book to tell the story of the executive mansion’s slaves. Bottom line: lots of interesting, important information which kept my interest throughout. ...more

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Jul 11, 2018 Ronny rated it really liked it

After reading the forward in this book, I was afraid it would be amongst the ever-growing number of revisionist histories in which the editors/authors attempt to rewrite history to suit their agenda. Fortunately, my initial impression could not have been more wrong. Mr Holland does a fantastic job of telling the stories and sharing the facts without bias. He also succeeds in doing so in a captivating and enlightening way.

I came into this read with several preconceived notions, most of which were ...more

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Mar 14, 2019 Samantha Aspinall rated it liked it

The subject and stories of this book were incredibly interesting and I learnt a lot, but the writing style was not enjoyable and the book was often repetitive and lacked good editing

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Aug 01, 2016 Chris Demer rated it liked it

Shelves: history, politics

Most of the presidents up to the Civil War brought slaves with them to serve their needs in the President's residences, and later the White House in Washington. (The two exceptions were John Adams and John Quincy Adams who did not own slaves.)
Although the nation was supposedly based on the tenet that all men are created equal, Black men (and women) were definitely NOT seen as equal.
And although several presidents decried slavery and slave trafficking, they owned slaves and some of them were sl Most of the presidents up to the Civil War brought slaves with them to serve their needs in the President's residences, and later the White House in Washington. (The two exceptions were John Adams and John Quincy Adams who did not own slaves.)
Although the nation was supposedly based on the tenet that all men are created equal, Black men (and women) were definitely NOT seen as equal.
And although several presidents decried slavery and slave trafficking, they owned slaves and some of them were slave traffickers.
Washington and Jefferson brought slaves from their plantations in Virginia to wait on them in the capital city. Washington brought slaves to Philadelphia-but returned with them every six months to be sure they did not become free,according to the law in Pennsylvania.
Slaves built the White House and also the Capitol building-doing the drudge work of digging clay, making bricks, cutting stone from the quarries, as well as working inside as carpenters and masons. These slaves were paid for their labor---but the money was not paid to the slaves but to their owners for lending them to the projects.
Andrew Jackson, born poor but developing some land and acquiring slaves through marriage and purchase, kept special slaves who were really good with horses, and jockeys, as he was heavily into the business of horse racing.

The general takeaway is this: The information we have on most of the black people serving the presidents is lost to history. Those who became known through letters and documents were the favored house slaves of the presidents from their plantations. Most were treated relatively well, some presidents were hesitant to separate families by selling the slaves. Some were very dependent on their slaves (and vice versa of course) and even affectionate to them. The problem with this scenario is that the vast majority of slaves on the plantations were worked hard in the tobacco and cotton fields. They had poor housing and poor food, they were treated harshly by their overseers, their names and characters were hardly known to their owners. But even the house slaves and those especially favored by their owners, generally yearned to become free men and rarely were given their freedom, even on the death of their owners. Because after all, they represented the wealth of these men, who were somehow able to manage the conflict they seem to have had in relation to the ownership of other human beings.

The book is good and has many interesting anecdotes and information that was new to me. I found a few dates near the beginning a bit confusing. I would recommend it. ...more

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Nov 11, 2016 Brendan Linwood rated it liked it

The Invisibles promises a story begging to be told - the story of the slaves owned by pre-emancipation presidents of the United States. When I first saw this book advertised, months before its release, I immediately added it to my "to-read" list; as a history lover, and in light of current racial tensions and injustices, I was excited to dive into the lives and words of these forgotten men and women. The book does not quite deliver, however. It turns out that very few books and essays have been ...more

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Feb 03, 2016 Lukas Holmes rated it liked it

I am so torn on this review. I heard about this book in an NPR interview and was really exited to finally hear these stories. But, honestly, it falls flat. I understand there is just a big lack of information on the slaves (the title itself gives it away), but Holland perhaps just wasn't the writer meant to bring what we do know to light. While some of the stories are compelling, Holland focuses on some odd mundane things here and there that made me start to think he was attempting to hit a word ...more

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Feb 05, 2016 Corelle rated it liked it

I wish I could give this maybe 3.8 stars....maybe I will bump it up one more star.... I heard about this title through some website on book suggestions for Black History month. I was intrigued and excited about the title.

I'm assuming at this point that everyone knows that slavery was involved in the White House hundreds of years ago. If you don't know, then frankly, I don't know what to tell you! The author did his research on the subject and he obviously worked with whatever findings he could ...more

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May 05, 2016 Lynne rated it liked it

In many ways this book is a 4, but it does need some editing and proofing as there is a fair amount of repetition. Also there were several errors in the book which always makes me wonder about the rest of the information given. The most obvious error occurred on page 3 in the introduction where the author states that John Adams and his son John Quincy Adams were Quakers. That is incorrect, they were Unitarians.

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Feb 15, 2016 Anne rated it really liked it

Fascinating and startling. I especially loved the first two thirds of the book and I am amazed at how much the author was able to learn about the slaves' lives. I didn't realize how many of these slaves we knew the names of and the quotes by the presidents in their letters about these slaves make it very real how closely everyone lived together. ...more

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Jan 27, 2017 tiffany greene rated it liked it

The subject matter was fascinating, and I enjoyed learning about something I hadn't really taken the time to think about before. However, I didn't like the writing style of Holland, and struggled to stay focused on the subject because I was distracted by the writing. ...more

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Feb 16, 2016 Jay Anderson rated it it was ok

Interesting subject matter, but difficult read.

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Dec 11, 2016 Christine rated it it was amazing

It surely took me awhile to get through this book. It is not exciting, and the content though well-written is exasperating. We remain so ignorant of the work that slaves did to build this nation, and our current state of affairs makes Holland's writing even more important.

He is even handed in his history telling and not hard on the presidential slave holders, instead giving them the benefit of the times in which they lived. He gently calls out their hypocrisy (and that if their wives) by descri ...more

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May 27, 2017 Tom N rated it it was amazing

THE INVISIBLES, by Jesse Holland, is an eye-opening chronicle of the African American slaves who lived in the White House and were owned by 10 out of the first 12 U.S. presidents. It tells of the origins of slavery in the American colonies through the Emancipation Proclamation and the American Civil War. Several of the slave-owning U.S. Presidents were very close to their favorite slaves, taking them from their personal plantations and keeping them at their sides as they did their presidential d ...more

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Apr 20, 2019 Mizloo rated it really liked it

An interesting book about some interesting people. The lot of specific slaves varied widely with the habits of the "owners" as well as the circumstances or positions they held. I was horrified, but not actually surprised to learn that 10 of the first 12 American Presidents were slaveholders; that they actually used slave labor in the President's House. Little is known about most of the enslaved persons, but Holland does a good job of fleshing out the known details.

My only caveat is the amount of ...more

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Apr 29, 2019 marcus miller rated it really liked it

Readable collection of stories related to the slaves who lived in the White House, primarily through the time of Andrew Jackson. Of course, there are many slaves who lived and worked in the White House whose names were never recorded, but Holland does a nice job of describing the stories of some he has documented. Holland also looks at the first twelve Presidents, ten of whom owned slaves. Some bought and sold slaves while serving as President though they took pains to show they were using money ...more

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Apr 29, 2019 Claire rated it liked it

Shelves: group-reads, non-fiction, social-history

There was some very interesting detail about presidents. In some ways the book was more about the presidents and their attitudes toward slaves than about slaves, which would be okay except that the title promised otherwise. It was disappointing to learn that Washington carefully managed his time in Philadelphia (when capitol was there) so that he and slaves were never in PA over the amount of months (6 or 9 ) that would grant the slaves their freedom. Then there was Jackson, never high on my lis ...more

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Apr 17, 2018 Guthrie C. rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: history, politics, diverse-voices

Excellent book that brings to life the individuals who were subjected to the horror of slavery by US Presidents in the 18th and 19th centuries. Beyond providing an interesting history of these individuals and how they helped build our early nation, you come to understand their personalities, their families, and their relationship with slave masters. An important book for understanding some of the people who were enslaved.

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Jan 29, 2018 Linda rated it liked it

Downloaded as an audio book from Audible. Was interesting to learn of some of the slaves who lived in the White House during the terms of the first 12 presidents. Not necessarily surprised but did learn how past presidents used the country’s resources (land and money) to build stables and race horses.

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May 06, 2019 Renee Slahgt rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Wonderful lesson of presidential history.

Besides the stories of presidential slavery, the historical report of our nation's growth and the part of African Americans in it was an affirmation that our country has ALWAYS been multi-racial, much earlier than southern plantation history. Great read! ...more

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Feb 21, 2018 Heather rated it really liked it

This is an audiobook rating. I likely would have rated The Invisibles three stars as a book. Some of the stories were long with details repeated and it might not have held my attention without JD Jackson's excellent reading voice. ...more

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Jun 10, 2018 Theresa Skopowski rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Very disappointed in this book. There was quite a bit of repetitive information, jumping back and forth and I didn’t feel like there was much new information regarding slavery as the author indicated there would be. I only read it in its entirety because it was a reading for my book club.

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Apr 18, 2019 Yvette Sherman rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Interesting read

I did enjoy learning this history that's rarely talked about when you study history. At times stories were repeated which was a little annoying. However I do highly recommend this book. ...more

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Jul 02, 2020 Rebekah rated it it was amazing

Shelves: own, individual-books

This book details the important part African American slaves played in the establishment of our nation. I think all Americans need to read it to truly understand what African Americans slaves did for the founding father and presidents.

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