Behind the Scenes Thirty Years A Slave and Four Years In The White House is the autobiography of Elizabeth Keckley. It is a story of self-reliance and compassion. Mrs. Keckley tells the story of her life as she journeyed from a slave owner’s house to the White House.
This is evident in how the thirty years she lived as a slave was condensed in a mere 31 out of 219 pages. According to Keckley, “From such a wilderness of events it is difficult to make a selection, but as I am not writing altogether the history of myself, I will confine my story to the most important incidents which I believe influenced the moulding of my character” (Keckley, 8). The remaining pages detailed her life as a free woman and her role as a confidante to First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln. In the preface to book, Mrs. Keckley states she wrote the book as an autobiography and to explain the actions of Mrs. Lincoln after the assassination of the President. …show more content…
Elizabeth Keckley. The first three chapters introduced the most important people in Keckley’s life. Agnes Hobb, her mother was the slave of Colonel Burwell. Agnes Hobb had many duties including that of a seamstress. It was by helping her mother that young Keckley learned the art of sewing. Keckley’s father, George Pleasant belonged to another slave owner. The broken promise by the slave owners to reunite her father with them taught Keckley a lesson in self-reliance she would never forget. Perhaps it was at this moment she set in motion the plans to buy her