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    Behind the Scenes: Thirty Years a Slave and Four Years in the White House: True Story of a Black Woman Who Worked for Mrs. Lincoln and Mrs. Davis
    Behind the Scenes: Thirty Years a Slave and Four Years in the White House: True Story of a Black Woman Who Worked for Mrs. Lincoln and Mrs. Davis
    Behind the Scenes: Thirty Years a Slave and Four Years in the White House: True Story of a Black Woman Who Worked for Mrs. Lincoln and Mrs. Davis
    Ebook210 pages3 hours

    Behind the Scenes: Thirty Years a Slave and Four Years in the White House: True Story of a Black Woman Who Worked for Mrs. Lincoln and Mrs. Davis

    By Elizabeth Keckley

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    About this ebook

    "Behind the Scenes" is both a slave narrative and a portrait of the First Family, especially Mary Todd Lincoln, and is considered controversial for breaking privacy about them. It was also her claim as a businesswoman to be part of the new mixed-race, middle-class that was visible among the leadership of the black community.
    Elizabeth Hobbs Keckley (1818 – 1907) was a former slave who became a successful seamstress, civil activist, and author in Washington, DC. She was best known as the personal modiste and confidante of Mary Todd Lincoln, the First Lady. She created an independent business in the capital based on clients who were the wives of the government elite. Among them were Varina Davis, wife of Jefferson Davis; and Mary Anna Custis Lee, wife of Robert E. Lee.
    Where I Was Born
    Girlhood and Its Sorrows
    How I Gained My Freedom
    In the Family of Senator Jefferson Davis
    My Introduction to Mrs. Lincoln
    Willie Lincoln's Death-bed
    Washington in 1862-3
    Candid Opinions
    Behind the Scenes
    The Second Inauguration
    The Assassination of President Lincoln
    Mrs. Lincoln Leaves the White House
    The Origin of the Rivalry Between Mr. Douglas and Mr. Lincoln
    Old Friends
    The Secret History of Mrs. Lincoln's Wardrobe in New York
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMadison & Adams Press
    Release dateFeb 5, 2018
    ISBN9788026883111
    Behind the Scenes: Thirty Years a Slave and Four Years in the White House: True Story of a Black Woman Who Worked for Mrs. Lincoln and Mrs. Davis
    Author

    Elizabeth Keckley

    Elizabeth Keckley (1818–1907) was a formerly enslaved woman who used her skills as a seamstress to purchase her own freedom. Born in Virginia, she was owned by a local planter and later, his daughter. Despite her status, Elizabeth was recognized for her talent, which she used to support the family. She then raised enough money to buy her freedom and move to Washington D.C. It was there that she started a business, making connections with the political elite, including Mary Todd Lincoln. Later, Keckley would detail the events of her tumultuous life in the autobiography Behind the Scenes (1868).

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      Behind the Scenes - Elizabeth Keckley

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