On Tuesday, March 14, 1845, President James K Polk was sworn in by Chief Justice Roger B. Taney, infamous for the Dred Scott Decision.

History is not always wrapped up with a bow. We want our heroes to remain heroes. We tend to avoid history that takes us out of our comfort zones. Purging Natives, enslaving Africans and interning Japanese are subject matters that do not align with “America the beautiful,” “huddled masses,” “in God we trust,” “the pursuit of happiness,” and “a more perfect Union.” We are a great nation, and we want to indulge in the historical references that justify that greatness. The atrocities that we committed along the way of obtaining that greatness are often overlooked or minimized despite the primary sources that can prove otherwise. This way of thinking has given us an incomplete narrative that bolsters the accomplishments of White males. Museums, history books, historic sites, monuments, and statues are indicative of this White male narrative. The voices of the Natives, enslaved people and women were, and still, to a certain extent, muted.

James K. Polk

More recently, there has been some public outcry from people who go to antebellum historic sites. The complainers get upset because the interpretation that they receive includes the stories of enslaved people. This narrative does not fit the revisionist history that they received; therefore, they complain through various means. This outcry of the complainers has gone viral, and social media and other news outlets are revealing their complaints. We should not take this matter lightly.

We honor the signers of the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution, although 66 of those men enslaved people. We also honor our past Presidents. When we consider our past Presidents, labeling them as enslavers go against what we think those men should be. The fact is, these men were humans; therefore, they had flaws.

Twelve of our former Presidents enslaved people. Eight of those Presidents enslaved people while they were in office. Chances are, if you ask a person if they have visited a plantation in the past, they may say no. Ask that same person if they visited the home of Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, Andrew Jackson or James K. Polk, and they may say yes. Mount Vernon, Monticello, Poplar Forest, Montpelier, Hermitage, the word plantation has been deliberately taken off the names of these sites to minimize their roles as places where people were enslaved. Some plantations that are open to the public and not associated with slave-owning Presidents tend to use that same concept, Drayton Hall and Middleton Place in Charleston, SC are great examples. It is as if the name plantation brings shame and something that must be minimized or denied.

James K. Polk

Recently, the Slave Dwelling Project had an opportunity to spread its vision, mission, and goals to President James K Polk site in Pineville, North Carolina. James K. Polk (November 2, 1795 – June 15, 1849) was the 11th president of the United States, serving from 1845 to 1849. He previously was Speaker of the House of Representatives (1835–1839) and governor of Tennessee (1839–1841). A protégé of Andrew Jackson, he was a member of the Democratic Party and an advocate of Jacksonian democracy. Polk is chiefly known for extending the territory of the United States during the Mexican–American War; during his presidency, the United States expanded significantly with the annexation of the Republic of Texas, the Oregon Territory, and the Mexican Cession following the American victory in the Mexican–American War.

Our first visit to the James K Polk site was in 2017. It included a compliment of living historians who demonstrated cooking and conducted history lectures and storytelling sessions. 

Frederick DeShon Murphy

This year’s activities included a public viewing of the documentary titled, The American South as we Know It, created by Frederick DeShon Murphy.

This viewing was my first of this powerful documentary. Any fan of White supremacy would not like this documentary. This video delves into those elements that replaced slavery such as convict labor, lynchings, poll taxes, Jim Crow laws, Black codes, redlining and other obstacles established to hinder African Americans from pursuing their happiness and achieving equality.

We mustered about fifteen people for the campfire conversation. Two people from the group Outdoor Afro joined us. Our relationship with that group is growing immensely. This interaction would be the third at a historic site with the Slave Dwelling Project and members of Outdoor Afro.

The James K. Polk site is a part of the North Carolina Department of Natural Resources. The Slave Dwelling Project’s relationship with this department is growing immensely. To date, we have had events at Stagville State Historic Site in Durham, Zebulon Vance Birthplace in Weaverville and Somerset Place in Creswell.

James K. Polk

Not all sites that enslaved people still have the original buildings where they inhabited. Some of these buildings were not built with the best materials and have fallen to demolition by neglect. Mother Nature has taken her toll on some of those buildings and may have been wiped away by hurricanes, tornados and floods. Some buildings demolished because owners did not want to pay taxes on structures not used. Some were in the way of development. Some destroyed in an attempt to erase that element of American history.

James K. Polk

There are two hand-hewn buildings at the James K Polk site that are original but, they were moved there from elsewhere. Pineville, NC was considered the frontier when the parents of President Polk built the original structures at this site. The thirty-two acres former plantation has been encroached upon from all sides by development. The larger of the two buildings depict where President Polk lived with his parents. Those of us staying overnight would occupy the smaller kitchen that would have been occupied by the enslaved people historically. That space was limited, so some participants pitched tents.

About fifteen of the participants who saw the documentary joined us for the campfire conversation and sleepover. Our campfire conversation was the usual subject of “slavery and the legacy it left on this nation,” but peppered with a lot of the content from the documentary, The American South as we Know it. The life of President Polk was also thoroughly discussed.

James K. Polk

Members of the group Outdoor Afro participated, which made this, two consecutive events. The demographics of the participants was 50% African American and 50% White. We had one confession of being a descendant of an enslaver. People shed tears. Site manager Scott Warren and other staff members joined us for the campfire conversation seeking insight on interpreting the lives of enslaved people.

The living history event on Saturday included Jerome Bias and Nicole Moore cooking in the indoor hearth of which we slept in the previous night. They both interpreted the lives of enslaved cooks to the visiting public. Dontavius Williams and Carolyn Evans conducted storytelling. The audience was not as large as what we experienced in 2017, but there was a great representation of African American participants, impressive because, visiting places where our Ancestors were enslaved is not on our shortlist of things to do. Portraying a past President as an enslaver is also a subject matter without mass appeal. None the less we got through the program.

Conclusion

James K. Polk

Each year, the Slave Dwelling Project tries to include a presidential site on its schedule of places to visit. Thus far, we have visited five of the twelve sites. We still must visit the sites of Presidents James Monroe, Ulysses S. Grant, John Tyler, William Henry Harrison, Martin Van Buren, Zackary Taylor and Andrew Johnson. If you can, or know someone who can, get us into these sites, please contact us.

In addition to the past Presidents, there are still a lot of historically significant men who enslaved people who we will examine. The 66 men who signed the Declaration of Independence and US Constitution, chief justices, governors, are all categories of White men who enslaved people. Museums and historic sites can assist in helping to right a wrong that has been plaguing this nation for far too long. The demographics of this nation is shifting; the White majority is on its way out to be replaced by a combination of other ethnicities. The historical narrative is following this demographic shift. Unfortunately, some come along kicking and screaming. Resistance is futile.

Changing the Narrative, One Slave Dwelling at a Time