Graduation Semester and Year
Spring 2026
Language
English
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy in History
Department
History
First Advisor
Christopher Morris
Second Advisor
Stephanie Cole
Third Advisor
Sam Haynes
Abstract
The historical narrative about American slavery included many topics such as the African slave trade, the Middle Passage, slave culture, rebellions, religion, and abolition. This study revealed more information to be examined in the record of American slavery relating to the presidents of the United States and their enslaved laborers. This oversight proved prevalent during the years leading to the American Civil War from 1820-1860. Therefore, this dissertation focused upon the enslaved and free Black people who intersected with the presidents and their friends, political acquaintances, and family. By studying their lives, this dissertation revealed that the slaves associated with presidents, who in this work will be called “presidential slaves,” have a composite human and pragmatic story. They shaped the lives of their executive masters while in other instances they lived distinct from their owners as they worked on their own agendas.
The thesis revealed how the presidents’ enslaved workers remained essential to these national leaders from birth to death and in memory. They served as personal playmates and attendants, built schools where their masters attended, and helped sustain them financially as laborers and as chattel property. The presidential slaves aided in their owners’ rise to national prominence, for decisions relating to their enslavement helped the national leaders achieve and maintain political hegemony. The research highlighted that some Black people cared for the presidents as nurses, valets, and personal friends. When teasing out the story of the presidential slaves, one discovered that all of the presidents in the Antebellum Era gained privileges because of these workers. Even, presidents John Quincy Adams, Millard Fillmore and Franklin Pierce who did not own human chattel still drank from the poisonous well of slavery. This work conveyed that free and enslaved Black people had lives that needed to be remembered, which inspired a rethinking of how to view the U.S. presidents and scholars’ interpretations about the Antebellum period.
Keywords
slavery, presidents, wills, Blacks, African American, freedom, manumission, war, south, north
Disciplines
Africana Studies | African History | American Studies | Black History | Oral History | United States History
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Davis, Nika, "Presidential Slaves: The Story of Black People in the Lives of Antebellum U.S. Presidents" (2026). History Dissertations. 1.
https://mavmatrix.uta.edu/history_dissertations2/1
Included in
Africana Studies Commons, African History Commons, American Studies Commons, Black History Commons, Oral History Commons, United States History Commons