Review: In the Shadow of Liberty: The Hidden History of Slavery, Four Presidents, and Five Black Lives by Kenneth C. Davis

Title: In the Shadow of Liberty: The Hidden History of Slavery, Four Presidents, and Five Black Lives
Author: Kenneth C. Davis
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.
Publication Date: September 20, 2016
Edition: Hardcover (304 pages)
Genres:

• Nonfiction
• American History
• African American History
• Biography
• History
• Slavery

Literary Awards: YALSA Award Nominee for Excellence in Nonfiction (2017)
My Rating: 5 of 5 stars

In the Shadow of Liberty: The Hidden History of Slavery, Four Presidents, and Five Black Lives, Dr. Kenneth C. Davis sets us straight about the history of America. Four of our greatest presidents owned enslaved people. Liberty, justice and equality for all did not apply to enslaved people owned by our founding fathers, as well as many others who fought for America's independence. Each of the thirteen colonies allowed ownership of enslaved people. Dr. Davis takes the reader on a journey with five of these enslaved people, as they serve these four Presidents.

I found this book heartbreaking, informative and fascinating. Many aspects of enslavement have been left out of the history books, so I welcomed reading this un sanitized version of our inhumanity to man, and the exposure of hypocrisy. This book is a great read, and I recommend it highly.