The first president of the United States was a slave owner. Like most southern farms and estates in the 1700s, George and Martha Washington depended on over 200 slaves to run their estate, Mount Vernon. Ona Judge was born on the Mount Vernon estate in 1773. Because her mother was one of Martha Washington’s house slaves, Ona learned those same skills – helping care for Martha through dressmaking, assisting with Martha’s appearance, accompanying Martha on social visits, and just being available to Martha 24/7. When George and Martha moved to Philadelphia after he was elected president, Ona went with them. In Philadelphia, she was influenced by the Free Blacks she met, those who had been granted their freedom from slavery in a city that was on the forefront of the abolition of slavery. For many years, Ona served quietly and faithfully, but near the end of Washington’s presidency in 1796, Ona learned Martha was going to “give” Ona to her granddaughter as a “wedding present.” Not wanting to be a slave to the snotty Eliza Parke Custis, Ona decided this was her only chance to take matters into her own hands and carefully planned her escape. This is a fascinating story of a courageous young female slave who dared defy the first President of the United States.
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