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Thursday, January 27, 2005
Interesting to me and probably me alone...
In George Washington's last will and testament which was 29 handwritten pages the first thing he mentions is provision for "my dearly beloved wife Martha Washington for as long as she might live."
Following this statement, Washington indicates what is uppermost in his mind:
"Upon the decease of my wife it is my will and desire that all the slaves which I hold in my own right shall receive their freedom." Following that statement is almost 3 pages of explicit instructions regarding how they are to be freed, including their children being educated and trained so they could support themselves as free people.
Washington evidently expected his family would be surprised at this decree as he indicated strongly, "I do hereby expressly forbid the sale of any slave I may die possessed of under any pretense whatsoever." and "See that this clause respecting slaves and every part thereof be religiously fulfilled without evasion, neglect or delay."
Important to note is that no other founding father freed his slaves or contemplated the education of slaves children (other than to the extent it benefitted the master.)
For example, Thomas Jefferson on the subject: "To give liberty to, or rather to abandon persons whose habits have been formed in slavery is like abandoning children."
Interesting stuff I'm currently listening to in the audio book: "An Imperfect God - George Washington, His Slaves, and the Creation of America."
1/27/2005 04:58:00 PM by Todd Bacon
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