Pogue, Dennis J.,

George Washington: Slave Master. Dennis J. Pogue. - American History, 2004. - SIRS Enduring Issues 2005. Article 4, Global Issues, 1522-3221; .

Articles Contained in SIRS Enduring Issues 2005. Originally Published: George Washington: Slave Master, Feb. 2004; pp. 52-61.

"...Washington had just completed a task that seemingly resolved an issue that had troubled him for decades. It was on that day that the former president finished writing his last will and testament, which spelled out his directions for freeing the more than 100 enslaved human beings that he personally owned. Much more than just a functional legal instrument, the will served as Washington's final message to his country, and the manumission clause represented one of the most symbolic acts of his long and distinguished career in public service." (AMERICAN HISTORY) This article reveals that, although a slave owner himself, "the efficacy and ethics of owning slaves plagued Washington throughout much of his life."

1522-3221;


Washington George
Washington, Martha 1731-1802


Antislavery movements
Slaveholders
Slavery


Mount Vernon (Va.)

AC1.S5

050