Lives of Enslaved People

Slavery was the central political, social, and moral issue of Martin Van Buren’s generation, and his relationship with the institution was complex and shaped by both personal circumstance and national debate. Van Buren’s political connections to slavery, as well as the lives of enslaved people who lived, worked, and visited the property that encompasses Van Buren's Lindenwald, are integral to understanding the history of the site.

The presence of enslaved individuals at Martin Van Buren National Historic Site is documented primarily through archival records that were created for legal, financial, and political purposes rather than to preserve personal histories. As is common in nineteenth-century records, enslaved people often appear only briefly in estate inventories, correspondence, or legal documents, frequently identified by first name, age, or monetary value, while details of their daily lives, family relationships, and personal experiences were rarely recorded. These gaps in the archival record are themselves an important part of the story, reflecting the realities of a system that did not value the individuality or voices of those held in bondage.

By examining the surviving documents and acknowledging their limitations, we seek to better understand the lives of enslaved people connected to our site and the broader world in which they lived.