Race has been an important issue in the United States since its establishment. Black slaves, who came from Africa with the purpose of slavery, were the ones who suffered from many hardships due to their status in the United States. However, their consistent efforts, movements, and fight for their rights led them to success, and now they are national citizens of the United States named African Americans. Kenneth T. Walsh wrote a book, “Family of Freedom: Presidents and African-Americans in the White House” which is based on the racial issues and the availability of the African Americans in the White House and their fight from slavery through civil rights. He added the presidential experience through the lens of African Americans. The author tried to differentiate between the race patterns of the presidents and their accomplishments, including those of Washington, Wilson, Truman, Roosevelt, and Barack Obama. Moreover, the author included private interactions between the Presidents and their implementation of the policies. He also added several elements of race relations in the American political system.
Barack Obama is the first African-American and most popular figure in the history of the country, who successfully became the President of the United States. However, the white house has many historical events that show the existence of African Americans in the American political system. The building of the white house was constructed by slaves when the African Americans were used as slaves. They fought for their rights and completed their journey from servants to advisors in the white house or in the country. The author of the book emphasized the efforts of African Americans and their old history of racial issues and problems. The racial progress in the country is also highlighted by the author of the book. He added the examples of Abraham Lincoln, Johnson, and Martin Luther King, who were great figures in African American history. Their efforts for civil rights accomplished their target, and they achieved the title and freedom of national American citizens. The book emphasizes US history, in which the relationship between African Americans and the White House is briefly discussed. The relationships between the Presidents of the United States and African Americans are shown as an important component linked with the White House. The author discussed the race issues faced by African Americans and how these issues developed their behaviour over the years.
In 2008, when Barack Obama became the President of the United States, numerous people, including African Americans, celebrated success on a huge level. Nobody imagined that success, but when it happened, everyone celebrated that historical movement. He represented nothing but great leadership skills and showed that he was part of a great nation. The black started their journey with slavery in the United States but became US citizens due to their certain efforts. When Barack Obama became US President, African Americans were greatly successful with the slogan, “Yes, We Can.” Everyone (other than African Americans) believed that Obama would only focus on the racial issues in the country and would try to reduce its level. But oppositely, Obama implemented a neutral administration. He adopted the same ideologies that were adopted by all the white presidents of the United States. He focused on the crises that occurred during his presidency, such as the Great Recession. Also, he pays attention to more specific tasks such as increased rate of unemployment, terrorism, optimism, and a huge oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico. The book added several other important factors, such as the indispensable roles of Black people in the White House. Black people served the white house in the form of advisors, slaves, servants, confidants, and friends of the Presidents. Most importantly, most presidents of the country always supported white supremacy and paid less attention to racial issues in the country. The author added the example of Abraham Lincoln, who favoured the differences between black and white people and who consistently worked to end the slavery system in the country. He believed that white and black people are two different races and they should be treated differently because he believed that black people would never trust white ones due to their uncertain behaviour in the past decades. The author of the book added that the black people who served the white house or the presidents of the country are complete examples of loyalty, pride, and discretion. They always devoted their efforts and true intentions towards their country and to their Presidents. It is stated in the book by Valerie Jarrett, who was an advisor of Barack Obama, “They all just feel that it’s the office that is an honour to serve, and that transcends party affiliation. It transcends race, and it would transcend the gender.” It means that black people always served the white house and the presidents without their intentions to only consider the issues of race. Rather, they devoted their lives to their country with dignity and pride. Moreover, Black slaves also contributed to the construction process of the white house. Their labour force was cheap and easily available during the construction process of the white house. In return, the slaves were provided with food and blankets. Later on, during the duration of Abraham Lincoln, many slaves were granted positions in the white house, and they always made fair choices and decisions for the country.
Works Cited
Walsh, Kenneth T. Family Of Freedom. London: Routledge, 2016. Print.
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