Details of history has a tendency to change over the years too. 50 years ago, things like the founding fathers owning slaves was downplayed. If it was even addressed in history classes.
However, I was wrong about George Washington and his belief that some humans were property. He was raised in that belief, true. He became a slave owner at 11 when his father died. He did purchase additional slaves during his lifetime. In 1790, the capital moved from NYC to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. After six months residing in Pennsylvania, a slave became free. Consequently, he and Martha only allowed their slaves to spend six months at a time in Philadelphia. And yes. His will stipulated that his slaves were to be freed upon the death of his wife. (They were actually freed a year after his death, before Martha's death). He was a hard taskmaster. That's true. He had high expectations both of himself and others. But only a few reports are critical of him ... and those may have been more because of the changes he implemented in running his plantation.
It's also true that he went to a lot of effort to find and return
Oney Judge, who was Martha's personal attendant and escaped while they were in Philadelphia.
What I didn't really understand was that during George Washington's lifetime, his belief in slavery changed. The Revolutionary War was a big catalyst in that change. He saw it was possible to run large farms/plantations without slavery. He witnessed black soldiers fighting bravely in the Continental Army. Initially opposed to the enlistment of free black soldiers, he changed his mind seven months after taking over leadership of the army. During the war he was also influenced by the views of Lafayette, who strongly opposed slavery. After the war, abolitionists began approaching Washington, seeking his support. By then, he did support the abolition of slavery.
Although he had stopped buying and selling slaves, he wasn't yet ready to give up his slaves. Part of that was because the slaves he owned and the slaves that came with his wife had intermarried and had children. A bit more than half of their slaves either came with Martha when she married Washington or were born to those slaves. Those slaves belonged to Martha's first husband's estate and had to be returned to that estate and the Curtis heirs on her death. They could not be sold, and they could not be freed. Then too, Martha didn't come to believe as he did that slavery was wrong.
Washington came to regret being a slave owner. He hoped for the abolition of slavery, but also believed it had to be done through legislature.
A complicated man for sure.
“The Only Unavoidable Subject of Regret”
George Washington and Slavery
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