Family of Freedom

Walsh (chief White House correspondent, U.S. News & World Report; From Mount Vernon to Crawford: A History of Presidents and Their Retreats) portrays how blacks have historically played an integral role in the affairs of the White House. Black slave laborers were used extensively in the construction of the building, and all 44 Presidents have had black household staff. But only in recent years have African Americans played key roles in policy decisions made in the West Wing. Unfortunately, there are significant gaps in Walsh's historical account. Very little is said about the eight Presidents who served in the important antebellum period, and almost nothing is offered relating to the Presidents who served in the late 19th century when blacks were being stripped of the political power achieved under Reconstruction. And while any account of blacks in the White House must include a discussion of our first black President, Walsh devotes too much space to recent history well known to most Americans.