Behind the Scenes

Or, Thirty Years a Slave, and Four Years in the White House

Elizabeth Keckley

• Publisher: Dreamscape Media
• Year: 2022
• Print ISBN:
  9780989609272
• eBook ISBN:
  9781666526646
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: Social Science Biographies
• Index: Social Sciences

Born in Virginia in 1818, Elizabeth Keckley grew up enslaved until she was able to purchase her and her son's freedom with money made from working as a seamstress. As she continued to perfect her craft, her styles caught the attention of the elite in Washington D.C. It wasn't until the day of Abraham Lincoln's inauguration that she crossed paths with Mary Todd Lincoln, who took Elizabeth on as her personal confidante and seamstress. Behind the Scenes not only offers an intimate look into the enslaved and free life of Elizabeth Keckley but also the lives of Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln. At the time of publication, the lives of presidents and their families were private and not known to the public—this book gave everyone an idea of what it was like inside the White House.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Copyright
• Table of Contents
• Preface
• CHAPTER I. Where I was born
• CHAPTER II. Girlhood and its Sorrows
• CHAPTER III. How I gained my Freedom
• CHAPTER IV. In the Family of Senator Jefferson Davis
• CHAPTER V. My Introduction to Mrs Lincoln
• CHAPTER VI. Willie Lincoln's Death-bed
• CHAPTER VII. Washington in 1862-3
• CHAPTER VIII. Candid Opinions
• CHAPTER IX. Behind the Scenes
• CHAPTER X. The Second Inauguration
• CHAPTER XI. The Assassination of President Lincoln
• CHAPTER XII. Mrs Lincoln leaves the White House
• CHAPTER XIII. The Origin of the Rivalry between Mr Douglas and Mr Lincoln
• CHAPTER XIV. Old Friends
• CHAPTER XV. The Secret History of Mrs Lincoln's Wardrobe in New York
• Appendix --Letters from Mrs Lincoln to Mrs Keckley