The United States of America is the land of the free, but was this true for everyone in the early part of our country's history. Being born into a world in which slavery was accepted, George Washington owned slaves at the early age of eleven. Inheriting his father's land, George and Martha Custis became married and settled at Mount Vernon. Although Washington would purchase many more slaves to work on his estate, his attitude changed as he grew older. During the Revolution, as he and fellow patriots strove for liberty, Washington became increasingly conscious of the contradiction between this struggle and the system of slavery. In this paper I will discuss the life of Washington's family and his slaves at Mount Vernon.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, chattel slavery was a common aspect of American society; so common in fact, that at least seven of our first ten presidents, including George Washington, owned slaves (Randall 23). These slaves were considered property with the same legal standing as a horse or wagon. Slaves could not legally own property or get married and could be bought, sold, or rented. They were given as gifts, bequeathed to friends and relatives in wills, and even offered as lottery prizes. The colonial plantation system in early America was dependent upon the availability of abundant labor and George Washington's Mount Vernon estate was no exception. .
George Washington was born into this society, inheriting slaves from his father at the age of eleven. When he and Martha Custis married in 1759, their combined slave-community numbered about fifty. By 1772, just two years before the Revolutionary War, Washington had purchased an additional fifty slaves. It was during this War for Independence that his views on slavery began to change, eventually leading to his resolve never to buy or sell another human being. During his presidency, Washington privately encouraged members of Congress to champion emancipation efforts through legislative action.
