Paul Jennings (slave) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Paul Jennings
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Paul Jennings
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| Born | 1799 |
| Died | 1874 (aged 75) |
| Occupation | American enslaved abolitionist Author |
Paul Jennings (1799–1874) was an American writer and a person who worked to end slavery. He was enslaved by President James Madison during and after his time in the White House. In 1865, Jennings published the first book written by someone who had lived in the White House. His book was called A Colored Man's Reminiscences of James Madison. It is a very important book about slavery and the early days of the American republic.
Paul lived in Washington, D.C. from 1837. He met many helpful people there. A senator named Daniel Webster from the Whig Party helped him become a free man. In the 1850s, Paul traveled to Virginia. He found his children, who had grown up on a nearby farm with his late wife, Fanny. She was also enslaved. His relatives on his mother's side were sold in 1844 by Dolley Madison, James Madison's widow, along with the Montpelier estate. During the American Civil War, Paul's three sons joined the Union army.
In 2009, Paul Jennings' family members were honored at Montpelier after a talk about him. They were also invited to a special viewing at the White House. They saw a famous 1796 painting of George Washington by Gilbert Stuart. Paul Jennings helped save this painting during the Burning of Washington in the War of 1812.
Contents
Who Was Paul Jennings?
Paul Jennings was born into slavery in 1799 at Montpelier. His mother was of African and Native American heritage and was enslaved by the Madison family. She told Paul that his father was Benjamin Jennings, an English trader. As a child, Paul was a friend to Dolley Madison's son, Payne Todd. He began working for James Madison as a footman and later became his personal servant.
When Paul was 10, he went with Madison and his family to the White House. This was after Madison was elected president. In his 1865 book, Paul wrote that the East Room of the White House was not yet finished. Most of the streets in Washington were not paved. He said the city was "a dreary place" back then.
Saving History: The War of 1812
In 1814, British soldiers attacked Washington, D.C. This event is known as the Burning of Washington. Paul Jennings was 15 years old at the time. He, along with two other men, helped save the famous Gilbert Stuart painting of George Washington. This painting is known as the Lansdowne portrait. Other enslaved people at the White House helped save valuable items like silver. The painting was returned to the White House. It is the only item that survived from before the War of 1812.
There is a story that Paul helped First Lady Dolley Madison save the painting. However, in his book, Paul wrote that a French cook and one other person did the actual work of taking the painting down.
Life After the White House
After President Madison finished his second term, the Madisons returned to Montpelier in 1817. Paul Jennings, who was 18, went with them. He continued to work as Madison's personal servant until the president died in 1836. Paul married Fanny, an enslaved woman who lived on another farm. They had five children, who lived with their mother.
In 1837, James Madison's widow, Dolley Madison, took Paul with her to Washington, D.C. She lived there during the winter. Paul had to leave his family behind but was allowed to visit them sometimes. In 1841, Dolley wrote her will. In it, she said that Paul would be freed after her death. He was the only enslaved person she freed in her will. As an adult in Washington, Paul saw a much larger community. Many free Black people lived there, including descendants of enslaved people from former presidents like Washington, Jefferson, and Madison.
Struggles and Freedom
Dolley Madison had money problems. In 1844, she sold Montpelier and all its property, including the enslaved people, to get money. That same year, Paul's wife, Fanny, died in Virginia. The next year, Dolley Madison hired Paul out to President James K. Polk. Often, enslaved people who were hired out could keep some of their earnings. But Dolley kept all of Paul's earnings because she was very poor.
Paul worried about his future. He tried to arrange a price to buy his freedom from Dolley Madison. But she sold him to an insurance agent for $200 in 1846. Six months later, Senator Daniel Webster stepped in. He bought Paul from the new owner for $120. Senator Webster then gave Paul his freedom. Paul paid the senator back by working for him. Paul then joined the large community of free Black people in Washington. At that time, there were three times more free Black people than enslaved people in the city.
The Pearl Escape Attempt
In 1848, Paul Jennings helped plan a large escape. Seventy-seven enslaved people tried to escape from Washington, D.C., on a boat called the schooner Pearl. This was the biggest escape attempt by enslaved people in U.S. history. White abolitionists like William L. Chaplin and Gerrit Smith helped fund this effort. The free Black community in Washington helped gather many enslaved people who were willing to risk the 225-mile boat trip to freedom in the North.
However, the people trying to escape were caught. They were brought back to Washington after bad winds delayed the boat. Their enslavers quickly sold them to traders, and most were sold again in the Deep South. Some enslaved people, like the two Edmonson sisters, had their freedom bought by family and friends. The Edmonson sisters were sent to school in New York State. Later, they spoke at meetings where people talked about ending slavery. The two white captains of the Pearl, Daniel Drayton and Edward Sayres, were found guilty of helping enslaved people escape. They spent four years in jail before President Millard Fillmore pardoned them.
The next year, Paul Jennings married again. His new wife was Desdemona Brooks. She was a free woman whose mother was white. She lived in Alexandria, Virginia.
Reuniting with Family
In the 1850s, Paul Jennings returned to Virginia as a free man. He was able to reunite with his family whom he had been forced to leave years before. During the American Civil War, his three sons escaped and joined the Union army. His sons John, Franklin, William, and his daughter Mary later joined him in Washington and the surrounding area.
After the war, Paul worked at the new Pension Bureau. This was part of the Department of the Interior. He helped process claims for veterans and soldiers' families. There, he met John Brooks Russell, a person who studied old things. Russell was fascinated by Paul's stories about his years with Madison. Russell wrote down Paul's story and published it for him in January 1863. It appeared in The Historical Magazine and Notes and Queries Concerning the Antiquities, History and Biography of America. Russell also helped Paul get his memoir published as a book in 1865. It is known as the first White House memoir.
As a free man, Paul Jennings bought a piece of land and built a house at 1804 L Street, NW. He had reunited with his children. His son John lived with him. His daughter Mary lived next door with her two children. His sons Franklin and William also lived nearby.
After Desdemona died, Paul married a third time in 1870 to Amelia Dorsey. He died in northwest Washington, D.C., in 1874 at the age of 75. He was buried at Columbian Harmony Cemetery in D.C. When that cemetery closed in 1959, Paul's remains were moved to a mass grave at National Harmony Memorial Park in Landover, Maryland. In his will, Paul left his house and property in northwest Washington to his family.
Paul Jennings' Legacy
- In 2009, staff at Montpelier gave a talk about Paul Jennings called "Paul Jennings: Enamoured with Freedom." They also held a party for his family members at the estate.
- Also in 2009, the Montpelier Foundation arranged a special visit for Paul's family to the White House. They saw the Gilbert Stuart painting of George Washington. This honored Paul for his efforts during the War of 1812.
- Dolley Madison Directing the Rescue of George Washington's Portrait, August 24, 1814 (2009) is a large painting. It was created by the artist William Woodward. The Montpelier Foundation asked him to paint it.
- One of Paul's family members lives in a house in Georgetown (Washington, D.C.). His family has owned this house in Washington, D.C., since the 1800s.
- James Madison University honored Paul Jennings on February 8, 2019. They named a new student residence hall after him.
See also
- List of slaves
