• science_pope [any]
    ·
    4 years ago

    One of my favorites:

    As Washington subordinated his desire for emancipation to his efforts to secure financial independence, he took care to retain his slaves.[263] From 1791, he arranged for those who served in his personal retinue in Philadelphia while he was President to be rotated out of the state before they became eligible for emancipation after six months residence per Pennsylvanian law. Not only would Washington have been deprived of their services if they were freed, most of the slaves he took with him to Philadelphia were dower slaves, which meant that he would have had to compensate the Custis estate for the loss. Because of his concerns for his public image and that the prospect of emancipation would generate discontent among the slaves before they became eligible for emancipation, he instructed that they be shuffled back to Mount Vernon "under pretext that may deceive both them and the Public".[264]

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Washington_and_slavery#As_Virginia_farmer