In the Shadow of Liberty: The Hidden History of Slavery, Four Presidents, and Five Black Lives

This nonfiction book examines the conflict between America’s founding ideals of liberty and the dependence of four presidents on enslaved labor. It follows five enslaved people: Billy Lee, connected to George Washington; Ona Judge, who fled Martha Washington; Isaac Granger, who served Thomas Jefferson; Paul Jennings, present in James Madison’s White House during the War of 1812; and Alfred Jackson, held by Andrew Jackson. Their lives illuminate slavery’s links to political power, wealth, suffering, and the continuing effects of racial injustice.