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“The Only Unavoidable Subject of Regret”: George Washington, Slavery, and the Enslaved Community at Mount Vernon

byMary V. Thompson

Mary V. Thompson presents a comprehensive history of slavery at Mount Vernon centered on the people George and Martha Washington held in bondage. Drawing on decades of research, she reconstructs work, family life, housing, foodways, religion, punishment, private enterprise, resistance, and escape across the estate. Thompson also traces the development and limits of Washington's thinking about slavery, including his eventual decision to emancipate those he legally owned. The study replaces an abstract institution with a detailed portrait of a complex and resilient enslaved community.

Publisher

University of Virginia Press

Publication date

2019-06-01

Format

Hardcover

Pages

520

ISBN

9780813941844