Recommendations from our site
“John E. Washington gathered a lot of fantastic oral history and documents to tell the untold story of the African Americans who knew Lincoln. Black Americans from many walks of life came into contact with Lincoln. There were African-Americans working in the White House. He was friendly with a young man named William Johnson who worked in the Treasury Department. His barber back in Illinois, William De Fleurville, was born in Haiti and they knew one another well. The stories in this book deepen our understanding of Lincoln and his presidency. It wasn’t just white men in blue uniforms; there were many African-Americans playing important roles behind the scenes.” Read more...
The best books on Abraham Lincoln
Ted Widmer, Historian
