Slavery at Mount Vernon

the institution of slavery dates back to antiquity it arrived in the Americas with the European colonists in Virginia where tobacco was a colony's primary cash crop slavery took root as early as the 17th century by the early 18th century the system flourished and thousands of enslaved Africans were sold each year to labor in the tobacco fields as well as to serve the homes of the colony's elite the system of slavery that developed in the American colonies was known as chattel slavery whereby a slave was the absolute legal property of its owner George Washington was born into a family and a society that accepted the idea of slave labor although not at the highest level of that society Washington's family was still a member of the elite landed tobacco culture society which was dependent upon the labor of slaves Washington became a slave owner at the age of 11 when his father Augustine died leaving young George 10 slaves in 1754 Washington began leasing Mount Vernon from the widow of his older half-brother Lawrence he inherited the estate outright upon her death in 1761 Mount Vernon was comprised of approximately 2,000 acres and 14 slaves in 1759 Washington married the wealthy widow Martha Dandridge Custis the marriage brought him an instant family Martha's two children by her first husband Daniel Parke Custis as well as one-third of all Custis property including an additional 84 slaves these slaves were referred to as dower slaves because Daniel Custis died without a will by Virginia law one third of his property went to his widow for the duration of her life but with certain restrictions Martha Washington could not free those slaves and if she sold them the monies raised would revert to the Custis estate furthermore all dour slaves and any children born to female dower slaves would revert to the Custis estate upon her death eleven of the dour slaves came to Mount Vernon with the newly married mrs. Washington in 1759 bringing the estate's enslaved population to approximately 50 the period of 1759 to 1775 was a time of tremendous growth at Mount Vernon Washington expanded his land holdings switched from tobacco to wheat as his cash crop and opened a merchant mill the slave population grew through purchased a natural increase although by the late 1770s averse to splitting apart families Washington stopped selling slaves without their permission by 1799 the year of Washington's death Mountain Vernon had grown to eight thousand acres divided into five farms living on the estate were about 340 men women and children which included the six members of Washington's immediate family and hired white workers such as overseers farm managers Millers and the housekeeper the remaining 316 were slaves 123 were Mount Vernon slaves 153 word our slaves and 40 were rented slaves

Channel: George Washington's Mount Vernon

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Id: Hdb-OS0lcyA

Length: 3min 1sec (181 seconds)

Published: Mon Dec 28 2015