[Post revised January 20, 2026]
As we approach February –Black History Month– and the celebration of George Washington’s Birthday (AKA “Presidents Day”) on Monday February 16, it is an appropriate time to reflect on the connection of Presidents and Black History. That is especially true in this year that marks 250 years since America declared its independence with Jefferson’s timeless words –“All men are created equal.” This is what I have called “The American Contradiction”–that a nation “conceived in liberty” was also born in shackles. (READ “THE AMERICAN CONTRADICTION”
Recognizing that fundamental truth is all the more important in the current political landscape, when teaching an accurate version of American History is under assault.
As the New York Times reported last year,
“Recent polls show that a majority of Americans of all political stripes are open to complex history that shows the bad along with the good. But Mr. Trump’s recent actions, some observers say, are part of an escalating attempt to use history as a wedge that separates ‘real’ Americans from naysayers who threaten the body politic.” New York Times, April 19, 2025, “Trump’s American History Revolution”
Having spent much of my career trying to correct the false narrative so many Americans were once taught, I believe the nation must honestly confront the role that enslavement played in the nation’s founding and development. In the Shadow of Liberty tells that story.
Did you know that many of America’s Founding Fathers—who fought for liberty and justice for all—were slave owners?
Through the powerful stories of five enslaved people who were “owned” by four of our greatest presidents, this book helps set the record straight about the role slavery played in the founding of America. These dramatic narratives explore our country’s great tragedy—that a nation “conceived in liberty” was also born in shackles.
