About this Event
Zacharie Kinslow, Executive Director of the Clement Railroad Hotel Museum at the Hotel Halbrook State Historic Site in Dickson, Tennessee, will examine the interesting and controversial life of Elias Polk. Once enslaved to President James K. and First Lady Sarah Polk, Elias rose from bondage to become a leading black conservative in the American South through supporting the southern Democrats, who earlier enslaved him and his people. Kinslow’s research on Elias Polk reveals a pragmatic and complex figure who did what he felt was necessary to survive in post-Civil War America while also actively working to secure and perpetuate African-American economic independence and political thought.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
The President James K. Polk State Historic Site, 12031 Lancaster Highway, Pineville, United States
