Slavery: George Washington's "Only Unavoidable Subject of Regret"
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- Опубліковано 29 вер 2024
- George Washington’s life has been scrutinized by historians over the past three centuries, but the day-to-day lives of Mount Vernon’s enslaved workers have been largely left out of the story. Until now. Historian Mary Thompson's new book, "The Only Unavoidable Subject of Regret": George Washington, Slavery, and the Enslaved Community at Mount Vernon explores the enslaved community in greater detail than ever before.
Learn more: www.mountverno...
0:00:07 What do we know about Washington’s early history with slavery?
0:01:15 What does slavery look like in Virginia during Washington’s youth?
0:02:40 Is there opposition to slavery during this time period?
0:03:24 What do the Quakers say about slavery?
0:03:43 In 1759, what happened to change Washington’s view of slavery?
0:05:31 After George and Martha Washington’s marriage, are they managing more than one plantation?
0:06:32 What is the day-to-day experience of someone managing multiple plantations in several Virginia counties?
0:07:12 How did Washington manage his plantation managers?
0:07:56 Did Washington’s letters to the plantation managers survive?
0:08:32 Did Washington purchase enslaved people?
0:09:45 Are the enslaved people that Washington is purchasing newly enslaved from Africa?
0:10:08 In the 1760s, does Washington show any changes in his thoughts on slavery?
0:11:04 Did the views of George Mason affect Washington?
0:12:05 Before the Revolutionary War, what is the scale of Washington’s ownership of enslaved people?
0:13:33 How did the Revolutionary War change Washington’s view of slavery?
0:15:58 Did Washington try to keep enslaved families together?
0:17:28 What was the quality of life of enslaved people during the Revolutionary War?
0:18:50 How does a war for liberty and rights affect enslaved people?
0:19:54 Are enslaved people running to the British?
0:20:22 What is the state of the Mount Vernon estate at the end of the Revolutionary War?
0:22:09 What labor and trades are enslaved people involved in at Mount Vernon?
0:23:58 What do enslaved artisans and craftspeople do at Mount Vernon?
0:25:11 What did Martha Washington do about slavery?
0:26:42 How involved was Washington in the management of enslaved people?
0:29:24 How involved was Washington in the punishment of enslaved people?
0:30:23 What was life like for enslaved children; at what age did they begin working?
0:32:33 What records did you use to write this book?
0:33:22 Do the records held by Mount Vernon document the events and people of the time?
0:34:10 Tell us about Hercules, an enslaved person, working as a cook at Mount Vernon.
0:37:40 Did George Washington own enslaved people while president?
0:38:50 Tell us the story of Ona Judge.
0:44:05 After Ona Judge ran away, how did the Washingtons deal with the situation?
0:46:10 When did Washington become an anti-slavery advocate?
0:48:01 What is the state of the Mount Vernon estate as Washington ends his presidency?
0:48:34 What is the size of the enslaved population at Mount Vernon and what are Washington’s plans?
0:49:59 After many years of living together, what happened when those enslaved by Washington and the Custis estate were separated?
0:51:29 What does Washington’s 1799 will say about those enslaved?
0:54:31 What is the relationship between the Washingtons and their long-serving enslaved people?
0:57:48 Compare Washington as a slave owner to other slave owners.
0:59:23 Did freed enslaved people remain at Mount Vernon?
1:01:24 Is there an effort to study the DNA of the enslaved people buried at Mount Vernon?
1:05:10 How does learning about slavery impact our understanding of Washington?
Questioned answered by Historian Mary Thompson:
0:00:07 What do we know about Washington’s early history with slavery?
0:01:15 What does slavery look like in Virginia during Washington’s youth?
0:02:40 Is there opposition to slavery during this time period?
0:03:24 What do the Quakers say about slavery?
0:03:43 In 1759, what happened to change Washington’s view of slavery?
0:05:31 After George and Martha Washington’s marriage, are they managing more than one plantation?
0:06:32 What is the day-to-day experience of someone managing multiple plantations in several Virginia counties?
0:07:12 How did Washington manage his plantation managers?
0:07:56 Did Washington’s letters to the plantation managers survive?
0:08:32 Did Washington purchase enslaved people?
0:09:45 Are the enslaved people that Washington is purchasing newly enslaved from Africa?
0:10:08 In the 1760s, does Washington show any changes in his thoughts on slavery?
0:11:04 Did the views of George Mason affect Washington?
0:12:05 Before the Revolutionary War, what is the scale of Washington’s ownership of enslaved people?
0:13:33 How did the Revolutionary War change Washington’s view of slavery?
0:15:58 Did Washington try to keep enslaved families together?
0:17:28 What was the quality of life of enslaved people during the Revolutionary War?
0:18:50 How does a war for liberty and rights affect enslaved people?
0:19:54 Are enslaved people running to the British?
0:20:22 What is the state of the Mount Vernon estate at the end of the Revolutionary War?
0:22:09 What labor and trades are enslaved people involved in at Mount Vernon?
0:23:58 What do enslaved artisans and craftspeople do at Mount Vernon?
0:25:11 What did Martha Washington do about slavery?
0:26:42 How involved was Washington in the management of enslaved people?
0:29:24 How involved was Washington in the punishment of enslaved people?
0:30:23 What was life like for enslaved children; at what age did they begin working?
0:32:33 What records did you use to write this book?
0:33:22 Do the records held by Mount Vernon document the events and people of the time?
0:34:10 Tell us about Hercules, an enslaved person, working as a cook at Mount Vernon.
0:37:40 Did George Washington own enslaved people while president?
0:38:50 Tell us the story of Ona Judge.
0:44:05 After Ona Judge ran away, how did the Washingtons deal with the situation?
0:46:10 When did Washington become an anti-slavery advocate?
0:48:01 What is the state of the Mount Vernon estate as Washington ends his presidency?
0:48:34 What is the size of the enslaved population at Mount Vernon and what are Washington’s plans?
0:49:59 After many years of living together, what happened when those enslaved by Washington and the Custis estate were separated?
0:51:29 What does Washington’s 1799 will say about those enslaved?
0:54:31 What is the relationship between the Washingtons and their long-serving enslaved people?
0:57:48 Compare Washington as a slave owner to other slave owners.
0:59:23 Did freed enslaved people remain at Mount Vernon?
1:01:24 Is there an effort to study the DNA of the enslaved people buried at Mount Vernon?
1:05:10 How does learning about slavery impact our understanding of Washington?
Washington is rotting in hell and he was an enslaver. Notice he couldn't have any children. God will continue to punish him. He even stole enslaved Africans teeth. His wife is in hell too.
This is really difficult to hear. I love all the information! Thank you so much for the video. I don’t know why the volume seems so low.
We are sorry to hear it's giving you trouble. You can enable closed captions on the video if the audio is problematic.
@@mountvernon thank you, closed captions helped a loy
I can hear just fine. God bless
I was born on Bushrod island in Liberia, it was named after Bushrod Washington. He was a founding member of the American Colonization Society, in 1822 they sent free Blacks from the US to West Africa and formed a colony that eventually became the Republic of Liberia. My family however, is from one of the indigenous tribes.
Slavery was brutal, cruel and inexcusable. Washington was the single most influential person in forming our country. Both things can be true even if we don’t like it.
Congress wouldn't pass ending slavery when he was President.
Has it ever been proven that GW had any children w / any of his slave girls?
A foreigner came into the US and stole properties in the South.
The relatives in the North demanded the properties back.
The refusal to leave said properties caused the start of the Civil War.
The stolen properties taken by these foreigners needed workers. They had / imported slaves.
The 1808 law passed by Jefferson, against the import of humans as slaves, preventing indefinite servitude of indentured servants, was ignored by these foreigners.
You are sick
I couldn't listen to much
I guess She's nervous or something but Her awkward laugh while speaking about such a serious subject is really sickening.
Sometimes it’s useful to saddle your outrage in order to educate yourself. Yes, she’s probably nervous. It is a very touchy subject, & she obviously has some awkwardness as to how to answer without offending people. Open your ears and listen to her answers. Don’t discount the message bc you’re not thrilled w/ the messenger. She’s an historian.
Some people do it out of nervousness. Get over it! I don't agree with the subject matter but you don't see me verbally throwing up on her.
@@dshepherd107 thank you!
Huddy from NJ was Washington.
He did not own slaves nor did Marthas family.
She did not have another husband.
Her family had money.
If they were wealthy why would they need slaves?
Nonsensical.
How would they become wealthy in that time without slaves, seeing as it was the predominant source of inexpensive labor in a trade based economy?
Summertime Sadness Del Rey They were all lawyers surveyors and related to royals of Europe.
They were Christians ( all of which descend from jews who were enslaved themselves), and part American Indian they did not agree with slavery ever.
Oh stop trying to cover up Facts!!!
I sincerely urge you to seek counseling. Your delusions are frightening, and I worry for your well-being and the well-being of those subjected to you.
not only did he enslave people but he would pursue them to his own death when they escaped
Turn up the volume, turn on CC and listen closely; it is fascinating. What emerges is that Washington made a journey over his lifetime from an unquestioning slave owner to feeling trapped by the system and deeply regretful of his place in it. He did more than most slave owners in consideration of the enslaved community in his care and likely would have done more if he had not died suddenly and prematurely. We learn that Edmond Randolph told Jefferson that Washington had said that if the country broke up over the issue of slavery that he, Washington, would go to the North.
Hi David, you sound like you know about slavery, so I wanted to ask a question, but my question is not specific to George Washington. If “masters” saw their slaves essentially as property much like live stock or farm implements why did they not take better care of them? Just from an economic standpoint did they not realize they could maximize production by providing adequate food, clothing, shelter, medical care and rest?
@@faulltw Washington took a Giant Financial hit by keeping families together.
Families with 4-6 children, they were fed, housed, were seamstresses' and could have sewn clothing like most people had to, they had Hearths, they had Rifles & shotguns to Hunt for xtra food.
They might of had it better than the poor, which are never mentioned in history.
This in no way sugarcoats this Issue,
But I think it would be hard pressed for the Poor & Illiterate to get a job anywhere.
But he had the Opportunity to go North & People should judge #1 too harshly.
Fatherless @11, British owned every piece of Land, including Property & the Slaves were stamped by King James until King George 160+ years later, or the Portuguese & Turkish Slave Ships who raided Iceland Villages taking the White Slaves back to Constantinople (Istanbul) to the 1300 year Turkish Slave Trade/Market.Or Kplenga King of the Dehomey Tribe, Richest man in Africa.
The Brutality & White Supremacy of the Democrat party for the 33 years before Civil War & 100+ years after(KKK,Jim Crow,1898 Insurrection, Black Wallst.,Murders, Lynching,Arson,Extortion,Voter suppression, violation of their Constitutional Rights as citizens, Extortion, Etc)
There are far worse villian's then #1.
If we teach History, teach all of it.
He could have freed them all the moment he inherited them and yet he did not. He encouraged them to marry, procreate growing his work force. His operations were massive, exporting hundreds of thousands of tons of products domestically and internationally. He farmed thousands of acres, manage and processed thousands of livestock. He was one of the largest producers of flour, fruit, fish, meats, etc., in the US and much more without being a task master, please! He could have sold his farms, sold or freed all the slaves and lived as a boss in a mansion in any city and yet he did the opposite constantly expanding his holdings, selling slaves too. I am a native Virginian, historian, educated, business and farm owner, I live a stones throw from Mt Vernon and go there many times since 1969,. Slaves were indeed whipped which is brutality, families were separated, most only seeing each other once a week or once a month or once a year. A family lived in one room often measuring 10 x 12, my horse stalls are bigger then that. Don’t get me wrong, I love American history and am patriotic, I adore Washington and all the other founding fathers, but I do not have my head in the sand regarding the real history where people were less valued than a mule, (which Washington was the first to create in the US). I would argue George was probably much better to his slaves than most, but salves they were. My Vernon is a wonderful place, if you haven’t been you must go. When people visit and see its beauty on the River, how immaculate it is, the happy interpreters, the museum, amphitheater they often forget the toil, drudgery injuries, diseases, back breaking work it took to run a plantation. If people want to believe George was an angel, so be it, he was probably fair, but if you ran he had you hunted for. Many videos white wash the life of a slave, not saying this one does, you will get more visitors focusing on the positive than the negative, plus little kids would be scared if they focused to much on punishments. If there are true accounts of these they are possibly kept under wraps, people today get offended at everything. Mt Vernon and other former slave plantations face those who mean to harm history, close these kinds of places. You can’t walk over history or erase it, I have not one black friend that takes issue with the slave past of this country, they are proud of their ancestors who built this nation. The media feeds decisive reporting to sell stories which does nothing but hurt people’s feelings and in turn harms our nation. Bravo Mt Vernon for weathering all the storms.
I agree with most of what you said; however, I think selling his Slaves could be argued to be equally as bad as owning them, he’s just giving them to another owner.
The Mount Vernon Ladies' Association has made a concerted effort in recent years to expand our narrative on slavery and all individuals who lived at Mount Vernon through primary source materials, archeology digs, as well as oral histories. The opening of our exhibit, Lives Bound Together: Slavery at George Washington's Mount Vernon was a large research achievement to better constructing those stories. It's a program the Association plans on continuing to build upon. You can explore this in greater detail on our website: www.mountvernon.org/george-washington/slavery/
George Washington's Mount Vernon The Ladies Association has single handedly saved America’s most important home and has done so much more to expand the learning experience at Mt Vernon. As a member of the DAR I appreciate the continued efforts of the MVLA and all the women, worldwide, who support our 1st POTUS his home place and legacy. who give their time, money and other recourses. Bravo!
@@whichkatami Thank you for your kind words and support for DAR.
You cannot judge someone for being a product of their own time & culture.
Hw pursued an enslaved woman, Ona Judge, until his death. How could he have changed his mind about slavery?
Just a bit of feedback; I found the sound quality on the lady’s microphone really quite bad and couldn’t continue watching it. A real shame
As a descendant of enslaved people it's crazy 😂😂😂 y'all bad people
Estimate of about 147,000 Native American Indians were enslaved in the English colonies. So I don't believe all of Washington's enslaved persons were from Africa. Thus, they may not test those buried at Mt. Vernon as it may debunk the African slave ship narrative. Many captured Africans died on the ships or at sea and Africans were too expensive, thus the Native Indians from FL, GA, NC, SC, VA areas were captured and enslaved.
Please let’s use the proper language. Not “slave,” enslaved person(s). Not “slave owner,” enslaver. Thank you.
thank you
He was an amazing man of the enlightenment. His vision for the country helped America move forward socially towards living up to the ideal that "All men are created equal".
how?
Why not take him off 25 $ coin
It is not fair to judge those who lived in the past by today's standards.
For simpler things this may be true, but many literally owned other human beings. In my opinion you can definitely judge people for doing that despite commonalities at the time.
yeah some of our values probably won't be looked on favorably in 100 years since social norms change. I wish more people realized that. Now I am not defending slavery or anything but it was a part of the culture unfortunately and legal.
It is.
It's perfectly fair. We are learning the founders were not morally intact individuals, and failed in many ways. They're not the heros we've been taught to worship at all.
@@idontgiveafaboutyou doesn't matter. The truth of history has to come out.
Has it ever been proven that GW had any children w / any of his slave girls?
PC!
This is strange, the last time myself and others pointed it out you guys acknowledged it. You said you would fix it months ago
George Washington was a slave owner. Slavery was horrible and inhuman.
How many times do have to hear about it? What purpose does it serve? Washington was human and imperfect. No one debates that. But I get tried of hearing about it. If you want to hate him for owning slaves that’s a question only you can answer.
The same purpose it serves to reflect on parts of history that make you feel good....FRAMING.
Washington is rotting in hell.
No, actually, Washington was a deathbed Catholic. Fr. Neale, from the Jesuit house across the Potomac, and who was friends with Washington, was sent for by Washington and rowed to Mt. Vernon to receive his conversion.
Slavery was part of every culture and people from the dawn.of time it was the British who ended it around the world at an incredible price in treasure and lives
It was Britain who brought/ started slavery in America. They were corrupt morally. Britain benefited tremendously from the African slaves , so whether they try to stop it or not they introduce that evil into America. They even extend the slave trade for another ten years thanks to a Scot called Dundas, who's statue still stand today in Scotland.
@@Koloviv48i slavery had been part if every culture up too that time the British did what every other group was doing if the British were immoral all of humanity was let he who is without sin cast the first stone
they only ended it because it was so costly. The Jamaicans especially pointed out how unsustainable it was - constant rebellions.
Dyop Stop trying to undemine our founders with lies about their so called hypocrisy.
All four men on Mount Rushmore were part Anerican Indian.
None of their families were involved in the slave trade.
All were part Egyptian.
🙄