The White House stands as a symbol of American democracy, power, and history. Yet, beneath its iconic neoclassical façade lies a story often overlooked: the central role enslaved African Americans played in its construction. From laying the first cornerstone in 1792 to the completion of its original structure in 1800, enslaved labor was not just present—it was essential. When Congress passed the Residence Act in 1790, establishing a new capital along the Potomac River, the land chosen was ceded by two slaveholding states, Virginia and Maryland. This decision would shape the labor force that built the city’s most important buildings, including the President’s House—now known as the White House.
Initially, city commissioners hoped to recruit skilled workers from Europe, but their efforts fell short. Facing a labor shortage, they turned to local resources: free African Americans, white laborers, European immigrants, and, crucially, enslaved people hired out from their owners.
Enslaved laborers participated in nearly every phase of the White House’s construction. They quarried and cut stone at the government’s quarry in Aquia, Virginia. Stonemason Collen Williamson trained enslaved workers on-site, whose efforts provided the raw materials for the mansion’s walls. Enslaved carpenters, brickmakers, sawyers, and laborers worked alongside European craftsmen and free Black workers. Their tasks included sawing logs, making bricks, building walls, and roofing. Most enslaved workers lived in makeshift barracks or shacks near the construction site, receiving basic food and medical care. Wages for their labor were paid directly to their owners, not to the workers themselves.
While poor record-keeping and historical indifference have obscured many individual stories, some names survive. Wage rolls from the National Archives list enslaved carpenters such as Tom, Peter, Ben, and Harry—two of whom were owned by James Hoban, the White House’s architect. These records offer a rare glimpse into the lives of those whose hands built the nation’s most famous residence. The use of enslaved labor to build the White House—often called “the people’s house”—exposes the contradictions at the heart of America’s founding. The president’s home, a global symbol of freedom and democracy, was constructed by people denied both.
This legacy is now being more openly acknowledged. In 2021, a plaque was installed in Lafayette Square, across from the White House, formally recognizing the enslaved people who helped build the mansion. The marker notes that “hundreds of enslaved people were involved in nearly every aspect of construction,” and that their labor “illuminates our country’s conflicted relationship with the institution of slavery and the ideals of freedom and equality promised in America’s founding documents”. The story of the White House’s construction came into sharp focus during Barack Obama’s presidency. As First Lady Michelle Obama movingly noted, she woke up “every morning in a house that was built by slaves,” a powerful reminder of both the nation’s painful past and its ongoing journey toward justice and equality.
The White House is more than a seat of power; it is a monument layered with the stories of those who built it—many of whom were enslaved African Americans. Their labor, skill, and resilience are woven into the very fabric of the building, a testament to both the nation’s contradictions and its capacity for change. As America continues to reckon with its history, the story of the White House’s construction stands as a vital chapter—one that must never be forgotten.