The Vice President's Black Wife

In her compelling work, historian Amrita Chakrabarti Myers uncovers the complex life of Julia Ann Chinn, the enslaved wife of Richard Mentor Johnson, a veteran and U.S. vice president. Despite her enslavement, Chinn wielded significant power over the estate and its operations, including a boarding school for Indigenous men and boys. Their relationship, likely lacking in consent, highlights the challenges they faced, particularly as Johnson's refusal to conceal their union ultimately led to his political downfall. This narrative reveals both the extraordinary influence Chinn held and the societal limitations that shaped their lives.