Join us to discuss Dr. White's new book "A House Built By Slaves: African American Visitors to the Lincoln White House"

About this event

Join President Lincoln's Cottage for the next installment in our virtual event series Scholar Sessions. We'll be hosting historian Jonathan W. White to discuss his newest book, A House Built By Slaves: African-American Visitors to the Lincoln White House in conversation with Michael Atwood Mason, our CEO & Executive Director.

President Lincoln's Cottage members receive priority registration and two complimentary tickets for this event. To donate to President Lincoln's Cottage and become a member, click here.

In the book, rediscover the forgotten story of how President Lincoln welcomed African Americans to his White House in America’s most divided and war-torn era. White illuminates why Lincoln’s then-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. 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 155 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.