This short memoir details Paul Jenning’s memories and impressions of the fourth President of the United States, James Madison. Jennings was born into slavery and in his childhood was trained as a body servant and footman to James Madison. When Madison was elected, Jennings travelled with him to the White House, and his experiences there were translated into this narrative after he purchased his freedom years later.
Published in 1865, A Colored Man’s Reminiscences of James Madison was the first White House memoir to be published. The memoir is still studied by American historians today, and is considered an important source speaking to social history, American politics and the nature of slavery in the nineteenth century.
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