9. Upon Martha’s Death, George Left Instructions in His Will to Free His Slaves
While George Washington’s views on slavery changed throughout his life, he never freed his slaves during his lifetime. Like many other slave owners of his time, Washington believed that his plantation couldn’t run without his slaves. Slavery was a way to make sure that Washington, his family, and his home were taken care of during his lifetime and after his death. However, this doesn’t mean that Washington never tried to free the slaves of Mount Vernon.
In fact, Washington stated in his will that all of the slaves of Mount Vernon were to become free once his wife, Martha, passed away. Unfortunately, for many of the slaves, they would never see freedom because laws and Martha’s family wouldn’t allow this. Because Washington gained many of the slaves through Martha’s inheritance, he couldn’t legally free them in his will. Therefore, they would remain the property of Martha’s estate after her death. Instead of becoming free, Martha’s family inherited the slaves or sold them.
