Did george washington free his slaves?

Of the 317 slaves at Mount Vernon in 1799, 123 individuals were owned by George Washington and were stipulated in Washington's will to be freed upon his wife's death. However, these conditions did not apply to all slaves at Mount Vernon. read more

In U.S. history, the relationship between George Washington and slavery was a complex one in that, while he held people as slaves for virtually all of his life, he expressed reservations about the institution during his career. read more

At the end of his life Washington made the bold step to free all his slaves in his 1799 will - the only slave-holding Founding Father to do so. 1. George Washington first became a slave owner at the early age of eleven. When Washington’s father Augustine died in 1743, George Washington became a slave owner at the early age of eleven. read more

In his will, written several months before his death in December 1799, George Washington left directions for the emancipation of all the slaves that he owned, after the death of Martha Washington. Washington was not the only Virginian to make provisions to free his slaves during this period. read more

Like nearly all wealthy landowners in Virginia, George Washington owned slaves who worked his land. He received the first slaves of his own when his father died in 1743. Washington, just 11 years old at the time, was willed ten slaves, and by the time he married Martha Custis in 1759, he had purchased at least eight more. read more