Slavery

Biographies

At the time of George Washington’s death, the Mount Vernon estate’s enslaved population consisted of 317 people. These silhouettes are meant to represent people in bondage at George Washington's Mount Vernon. The designs were based on physical descriptions, age, gender, clothing, and work assignment.

Food

The standard rations enslaved people received were cornmeal and salted fish, which they harvested themselves. In their limited personal time, enslaved people kept gardens, raised poultry, and foraged.

Housing

The standard slave quarter on Mount Vernon’s five farms was a rough one-room log structure with a wooden chimney. On Mansion House Farm, many enslaved house servants and craftsmen lived in larger barracks-style quarters.

Family Life

At Mount Vernon, many families were separated across different farms due to their work assignments.

Video: Slavery at George Washington’s Mount Vernon

Clothing

Mount Vernon’s enslaved people usually had no choice but to wear clothing identifying them as enslaved. Enslaved house servants were provided more and better-quality clothing than field workers.

Music of the Enslaved

Archaeological evidence sheds light on the musical traditions of Mount Vernon's enslaved community.

Labor in the Mansion

In 1799, a team of at least ten enslaved butlers, housemaids, waiters, and cooks ensured the Washingtons and their guests' needs were always met.

Skilled Trades

In 1799, more than 50 enslaved men and women were trained in specific trades that kept parts of Mount Vernon’s operation self-sufficient.

Field Labor

The majority of enslaved people at Mount Vernon were assigned to agricultural work on the plantation’s four outlying farms.

Resistance and Punishment

Mount Vernon's enslaved community found many ways to resist bondage and challenge George Washington’s authority. Resistance ranged from subtle behavior to more visible actions.

Slavery at Mount Vernon

The story of slavery at Mount Vernon is complex and painful. But it is also a story of strength, humanity, and hope.

Community and Tradition

Maintaining customs and community allowed Mount Vernon’s enslaved people to affirm their humanity in a world that denied it.

The Growth of Mount Vernon's Enslaved Community

Over the course of George Washington’s life, at least 577 enslaved people lived and worked at Mount Vernon. The number of enslaved people at Mount Vernon grew steadily during Washington's residence from 1754 to 1799.

Plantation Structure

In 1799, Mount Vernon consisted of 8,000 acres divided into five farms, plus a gristmill and distillery. Enslaved men, women, and children lived on each farm The workers at Mansion House Farm were primarily domestic servants and craftsmen, while those on the outlying farms labored in the fields.

African Americans in the Revolutionary War

The Revolutionary War posed a difficult choice for enslaved African Americans.

Washington’s Changing Views on Slavery

George Washington began questioning slavery during the Revolutionary War, when he led the North American colonies’ battle for independence from Great Britain.

Slavery and Washington's Presidency

After the Revolution, George Washington repeatedly voiced opposition to slavery in personal correspondence. He privately noted his support for a gradual, legislative end to slavery, but as a public figure, he did not make abolition a cause.

George Washington's Will

George Washington addressed the issue of slavery in his will, when he ordered that his enslaved workers be freed at his wife’s death. This emancipation provision was a powerful public statement of Washington’s antislavery views.

A Community Divided

After George Washington’s death, Mount Vernon’s enslaved community was divided several times over.

From Slavery to Freedom

After their manumission in 1801, many people formerly enslaved by George Washington settled in free black communities near Mount Vernon.

Martha Washington as a Slaveowner

Few of Martha Washington’s letters survive, so her feelings often remain elusive. Still, her actions suggest she did not question slavery as George Washington did.

18th-Century Atlantic Economy

The transatlantic slave trade began to flourish in the 16th century. It quickly became a major enterprise for Portuguese, British, Spanish, French, and Dutch traders.

Researching Slavery

Most enslaved people never had an opportunity to learn reading or writing, so they left few written records of their own. At Mount Vernon we use Washington's words, combined with archaeology and oral history with descendants, to piece together the stories of Mount Vernon’s enslaved community.

Forgotten No Longer

In 2014, Mount Vernon's archaeologists began a multi-year project to learn more about the Slave Cemetery at Mount Vernon.

Database of Mount Vernon's Enslaved Community

A team of Mount Vernon staff and volunteers spent more than two years analyzing Washington’s papers and compiling references to the enslaved people who lived and worked on his plantation. Search by event type, person, skill, location, and more. 

Washington’s Journey to Emancipation

When considering George Washington's changes ideas toward slavery and the role he played as a slaveowner, it is helpful to consider the context of his 18th-century culture.

Landscapes of Slavery at Mansion House Farm

At Mount Vernon, many original structures in which enslaved people lived and worked survive. These tangible spaces, along with discoveries made by historians and archaeologists, help us better understand the lives of individuals who were held in bondage on this estate.

History of Interpretation of Slavery

Mount Vernon is committed to interpreting the lives of the enslaved people who lived and labored on George Washington's plantation. While an open discussion of slavery has evolved gradually, the organization has made efforts throughout its history to preserve, interpret, and memorialize those who were enslaved here.

Intertwined: The Enslaved Community at George Washington's Mount Vernon

The Intertwined podcast tells the story of the more than 577 people enslaved by George and Martha Washington at Mount Vernon.

Told through the biographies of Sambo Anderson, Davy Gray, William Lee, Kate, Ona Judge, Nancy Carter Quander, Edmund Parker, Caroline Branham, and the Washingtons, this eight-part podcast series explores the lives and labors of Mount Vernon’s enslaved community, and how slavery is interpreted at the historic site today.