jennifer-roberts I enjoy having breakfast at Cracker Barrel. I love the homey atmosphere and the food. I order the same breakfast every time: a cup of coffee, three mini pancakes and a side of bacon. I especially enjoy going to Cracker Barrel alone. It is during these times that I people watch, read, write and sit quietly with my thoughts.
On a solo excursion to Cracker Barrel last year, I noticed a portrait of President George Washington hanging above the fireplace directly in front of me. As I stared at the picture, I thought to myself, “What would George think?” I quietly wondered what the first president of the United States would think about the people, particularly those in his home state of Virginia, who vehemently oppose a more accurate and authentic teaching of American History in public schools.
George Washington was born on February 22nd, 1732 in Pope’s Creek, Virginia which was in Westmoreland County. Washington’s personal relationship with slavery began at the age of 11 when he inherited 10 enslaved people from his father when his father died in 1743. Washington later married Martha Custis Washington whose late husband, Daniel Parke Custis enslaved nearly 100 humans. Upon Custis’ passing, Martha inherited one third of his property, a “dower share” which included the people whom he enslaved. George Washington purchased and rented more enslaved people after his marriage to Martha on January 6th, 1759, even holding people in bondage while serving as the nation’s first president.
George Washington, an elected official, was not alone in his participation as an enslaver. Presidents Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe , Andrew Jackson (who is still pictured on the $20 bill), William Henry Harrison, John Tyler, James K. Polk, Zachary Taylor and Ulysses S. Grant (commander of the Union army), all enslaved people at varying times in their lives. Some, like Washington enslaved people during their presidential terms. Tragically, during the 18th century and well into the 19th century slavery was such a profitable business that the buying, selling and abusing of Black people was commonplace and viewed by many as a normal part of American society.
I have visited Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington, several times. My most recent visit was in 2018 or 2019 when I took my two children on a field trip to the Enslaved People of Mount Vernon Tour (www.mountvernon.org). It was an educational tour and our guide was very knowledgeable. We participated in a wreath laying ceremony at the Slave Memorial and learned about some of the enslaved people at Mount Vernon. Our tour guide told us about Hercules, an enslaved cook, William Lee, George Washington’s valet and Ona Judge, a personal maid to Martha Washington. Out of all the accounts, it was Ona Judge’s story that impacted me the most. I purchased a book about her life from the gift shop and set about learning about this courageous woman.
Ona Judge was one of the enslaved persons that was part of the property that Martha Custis Washington received from her late husband, Daniel Parke Custis. Judge served in the Washington’s home house under the watchful eye of Mrs. Washington. A trusted enslaved person, Ona, also known as Onie, regularly traveled between Mount Vernon, Philadelphia and New York with the Washingtons. It was during a visit to Philadelphia that Judge simply walked out the front door and never returned. Despite an intense search for her, she was never captured and re-enslaved. She fled to New Hampshire.
As I think, research and write, this question of “What would George think?” came about because he along with thousands of other enslavers during the 18th and 19th centuries did not hide the fact they enslaved human beings, in fact their acquisition of human property often served as a status symbol. Enslavers such as Washington, did not conceal the people that they enslaved; these tortured souls worked in broad day light under the intense heat of an unforgiving sun or inside stuffy homes under the scrutiny of their mistresses. And these were lifetime sentences. Slavery in the 18th and 19th centuries was commonplace so I wonder what George would think about so many people in modern times working to erase this sordid practice and its effects from the annals of American History.
The sick, inhumane business of enslaving Black people was so much a part of the landscape of life that Martha Washington is reported to have said that she believed that slavery was part of the natural order. During slavery, southern states were teaming with auction blocks, jail cells, whipping posts and plantations all designed to publicly subjugate and dehumanize Black people. There were publicly circulated pamphlets and advertisements and enslavers often traveled with the people that they enslaved. Slavery was not a secret; it was a very public stain on the United States that helped to make it a very rich country – for some. So, what would George think about the whitewashing and omitting hat so many people are trying to do now? What would he think about the idea of softening the hateful words of White people in 1722 to make White people in 2022 feel better about the torture that he and other White men with power and privilege inflicted on Black people in the 18th century? How would he feel about his place in history, the legacy that he left which includes the fact that he was a slave owner? Would he only want to include the favorable parts such as commanding the Continental Army during the American Revolution, defeating the British to gain independence for the original 13 colonies, serving as the nation’s first president? Or would he include all the truth especially the flawed parts that helped him to justify slavery? Would he be shocked that Black people are no longer enslaved on plantations? I don’t have the answers, but I think that these are thought-provoking questions.
I enjoy having breakfast at Cracker Barrel. I love the homey atmosphere and the food. I order the same breakfast every time: a cup of coffee, three mini pancakes and a side of bacon. I especially enjoy going to Cracker Barrel alone. It is during these times that I people watch, read, write and sit quietly with my thoughts.
On a solo excursion to Cracker Barrel last year, I noticed a portrait of President George Washington hanging above the fireplace directly in front of me. As I stared at the picture, I thought to myself, “What would George think?” I quietly wondered what the first president of the United States would think about the people, particularly those in his home state of Virginia, who vehemently oppose a more accurate and authentic teaching of American History in public schools.
George Washington was born on February 22nd, 1732 in Pope’s Creek, Virginia which was in Westmoreland County. Washington’s personal relationship with slavery began at the age of 11 when he inherited 10 enslaved people from his father when his father died in 1743. Washington later married Martha Custis Washington whose late husband, Daniel Parke Custis enslaved nearly 100 humans. Upon Custis’ passing, Martha inherited one third of his property, a “dower share” which included the people whom he enslaved. George Washington purchased and rented more enslaved people after his marriage to Martha on January 6th, 1759, even holding people in bondage while serving as the nation’s first president.
George Washington, an elected official, was not alone in his participation as an enslaver. Presidents Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe , Andrew Jackson (who is still pictured on the $20 bill), William Henry Harrison, John Tyler, James K. Polk, Zachary Taylor and Ulysses S. Grant (commander of the Union army), all enslaved people at varying times in their lives. Some, like Washington enslaved people during their presidential terms. Tragically, during the 18th century and well into the 19th century slavery was such a profitable business that the buying, selling and abusing of Black people was commonplace and viewed by many as a normal part of American society.
I have visited Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington, several times. My most recent visit was in 2018 or 2019 when I took my two children on a field trip to the Enslaved People of Mount Vernon Tour (www.mountvernon.org). It was an educational tour and our guide was very knowledgeable. We participated in a wreath laying ceremony at the Slave Memorial and learned about some of the enslaved people at Mount Vernon. Our tour guide told us about Hercules, an enslaved cook, William Lee, George Washington’s valet and Ona Judge, a personal maid to Martha Washington. Out of all the accounts, it was Ona Judge’s story that impacted me the most. I purchased a book about her life from the gift shop and set about learning about this courageous woman.
Ona Judge was one of the enslaved persons that was part of the property that Martha Custis Washington received from her late husband, Daniel Parke Custis. Judge served in the Washington’s home house under the watchful eye of Mrs. Washington. A trusted enslaved person, Ona, also known as Onie, regularly traveled between Mount Vernon, Philadelphia and New York with the Washingtons. It was during a visit to Philadelphia that Judge simply walked out the front door and never returned. Despite an intense search for her, she was never captured and re-enslaved. She fled to New Hampshire.
As I think, research and write, this question of “What would George think?” came about because he along with thousands of other enslavers during the 18th and 19th centuries did not hide the fact they enslaved human beings, in fact their acquisition of human property often served as a status symbol. Enslavers such as Washington, did not conceal the people that they enslaved; these tortured souls worked in broad day light under the intense heat of an unforgiving sun or inside stuffy homes under the scrutiny of their mistresses. And these were lifetime sentences. Slavery in the 18th and 19th century was commonplace so I wonder what George would think about so many people in modern times working to erase this sordid practice and its effects from the annals of American History.
The sick, inhumane business of enslaving Black people was so much a part of the landscape of life that Martha Washington is reported to have said that she believed that slavery was part of the natural order. During slavery, southern states were teaming with auction blocks, jail cells, whipping posts and plantations all designed to publicly subjugate and dehumanize Black people. There were publicly circulated pamphlets and advertisements and enslavers often traveled with the people that they enslaved. Slavery was not a secret; it was a very public stain on the United States that helped to make it a very rich country – for some. So, what would George think about the whitewashing and omitting hat so many people are trying to do now? What would he think about the idea of softening the hateful words of White people in 1722 to make White people in 2022 feel better about the torture that he and other White men with power and privilege inflicted on Black people in the 18th century? How would he feel about his place in history, the legacy that he left which includes the fact that he was a slave owner? Would he only want to include the favorable parts such as commanding the Continental Army during the American Revolution, defeating the British to gain independence for the original 13 colonies, serving as the nation’s first president? Or would he include all the truth especially the flawed parts that helped him to justify slavery? Would he be shocked that Black people are no longer enslaved on plantations? I don’t have the answers, but I think that these are thought-provoking questions.
