Was the White House Built by Slaves?
When the 2016 Democratic Party convention crowned Hillary Clinton as its presidential candidate, First Lady Michelle Obama delivered something of a bombshell. Even though many suspected it, nobody had been quite so candid about the subject of the construction of the White House. So, was the White House built by slaves as Michelle Obama stated with such conviction in her now famous speech?
The White House was certainly built during a time when slavery was tolerated and legal in the United States. It took eight years to build, in a period from 1792 to 1800. But was the White House built with slave labor? Michelle Obama famously stated that “I wake up every morning in a house that was built by slaves.” (Source: “Remarks by the First Lady at the Democratic National Convention,” The White House Archives, July 25, 2016.)
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The White House has served as the official residence for presidents of the United States for a period of over 200 years. But many a pundit has questioned the validity of Mrs. Obama’s words—for historical accuracy or interest if nothing else. Thus, there was a rush of activity to determine whether slaves did, in fact, build the White House. Failing that, they hoped to uncover, at the very least, an answer to the question: Was part of the White House built by slaves?
Too Few Written Records, But…
The problem is that there exist too few written records from that period to ascertain who built the White House. Were they slaves or were they free men? But we do have some evidence from a building that is a short distance from the White House: the Capitol. As Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi stated in 2008, slaves built the Capitol.
It would not be a stretch to presume that, given their similar construction period. President George Washington himself laid the cornerstone of the Capitol in September 1793. Still, the historical record is unclear. There was great clamor about the 200th anniversary of the birth of President Abraham Lincoln in 2009, whom Nancy Pelosi described as the “Great Emancipator.” 2009 was also the very year that the first African-American President, Barack Obama, was to be inaugurated.
Thus, there was considerable pressure and a certain sense of long-overdue vindication. It seemed OK to take a few shortcuts with history. Why shortcuts? The problem is that in 2005, Congress set out on a special research project, appointing a task force to determine whether slaves took part in building the Capitol and if so, how many. There was a real effort to go beyond the rumors and uncover some facts beyond the legend. (Source: “The legend of slaves building Capitol is correct,” Politifact, January 19, 2009.)
The task force found enough evidence to state that slaves were indeed involved in building the Capitol. What it could not determine was exactly how many slaves participated. The researchers suggested that records were spotty and made little difference between paid and slave workers at the time. By association, it is, therefore, reasonable to assume that slaves also participated in building the White House.
There’s more than coincidental evidence. The States of Maryland and Virginia—the Potomac region—ceded the land upon which Washington D.C. was built. But about a half of the 750,000 slaves in the United States lived in the Potomac region. Records of the payroll suggest that while the government itself did not own slaves, it hired them. (Source: “The White House Was, in Fact, Built by Slaves,” The Smithsonian Magazine, July 26, 2016.)
White House Construction Details
Slaves were specialized. The records show that Ben, Daniel, and Peter, three slave carpenters owned by James Hoban, were just some of the workers who built the White House. According to records from the time, Collen Williamson, a bricklayer, trained the slaves to extract stone from the government quarry in Aquia, Virginia. Scottish masons would then use it to build the walls of the White House. (Source: “Q&A: Did slaves build the White House?,” The White House Historical Association, last accessed October 26, 2017.)
Moreover, the White House Historical Association, which First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy established in 1961, also states that slaves did take part in its construction. There’s even enough evidence to learn that the government wanted to hire migrants from Europe. Some did come, but recruitment proved problematic. (Source: “Slavery and the White House,” The White House Historical Association, last accessed October 26, 2017.)
As to the question of how many slaves built the White House, we run into the same problem as the Capitol. The government hired workers, both slaves and free men, without distinguishing the two.
Another important point to discuss is when the White House was built. As noted earlier, construction on the White House began in 1792. But few realize that the current White House we see standing at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue is newer. A fire destroyed the original White House during the War of 1812. It burned most of the interior. Was slave labor used to rebuild it?
There’s little known about whether or not slaves were used to rebuild the Presidential residence. But, given that slavery would only be banned in the Washington D.C. area in 1862—on the eve of the Civil War—there’s a good chance that slaves were used again.
How long did it take to build the White House? That question might be harder to answer than whether or not slaves participated in its construction. The White House underwent several reconstructions and additions. A British-born architect designed it in the early 1790s. In 1814, it was rebuilt. Then, the various presidents made their own additions and renovations, which included the electrification of what used to be known as the “President’s House.” Indeed, it was President Teddy Roosevelt, who first used the moniker we all use now: White House. (Source: “White House,” History.com, 2015.)
Finally, if slaves participated in building the White House, were there slaves in the White House? Indeed, there were. President Thomas Jefferson was a noted and enlightened figure, but as was customary at the time, he was also a slave owner. He was the first of seven presidents to own slaves while serving in office. The others in chronological order are James Madison, James Monroe, Andrew Jackson, John Tyler, James Polk, and Zachary Taylor. (Source: “Slaves at the White House Did More Than Just Build It,” TIME, July 28, 2016.)
