- George Washington owned 317 slaves at the time of his death.
- George Washington was one of the only plantation owners to recognize slave marriages.
- George Washington repeatedly refused to sell slaves if it meant that they would be separated from their families.
- George Washington stated in his will that upon his wife Martha's death, his estate, Mount Vernon, would be sold and the proceeds would be used to pay for the freedom and education of the 124 slaves that he owned outright.
- But still... George Washington owned 317 slaves at the time of his death.
How do you assess the morality of George Washington? Three paragraphs:
- Thesis
- Supporting Argument #1
- Supporting Argument #2
I believed that George Washington was A good, smart & In A Way a caring man.I think he is a caring man because even though he knew it was cruel to own slaves he still had them but in a way he treated them with respect because he would never let the familys be separated. He Also smart because unlike most slave owners he wanted his slaves to be educated and he was nice enough to even pay for it. He also didnt pay his own slaves they got passed down to him so that also shows he care because he didnt take any of them from there natural environment. Even though i myself am angainst slavery i would rather have let George Washington own most of the slaves because unlike other slave owners George Washington wasn't a cruel man and were better off with him
ReplyDelete-Zaire Holmes
George Washington is a man that I admire and respect beacuse when he is still living he couldn't done such a thing to sell slaves and separated their families and he repeatedly refuse it to sell them. He is one of the only plantation owners to recognize slave marriages and he is being nice to them even though they are slaves. In the past slaves can not be married but George Washington let them marry. If it were another slave owner he won't let them have this much freedom such as to get married and not to separate their family. They(slaves) should be happy to have George Washington as the slave owner. Even though he is dead he send his slave to have an education and its 124 out of 317 slave. Its most of the slaves that he sent to have an education from that he owned outright. The other slaves he doesn't the the right to send them to have an education. If it were others owner he wouldn't waste money and send the slaves to education and he would save more money to left for his family to spend after his death.
ReplyDelete- Doris Luu
George Washington was one of the best president in history (to me), he had power to do many things and one of those things was to put a stop to slavery. I know now that even though Washington own slaves and treated them pretty god darn good compare to other masters he wouldn't allow them to be free. Which shows what kind of man he really is a man that likes to be in control. I do understand if he did let go of the slaves they most likely wouldn't be successful because people still didn't hire free slaves and most of them had a mind set that black people should be kept as slaves. However Washington wasn't just a normal master he was the freaking president he could have set up jobs specifically for black people, and help them get the education they need to have a smart mind set to get where they need to go in life. I agree what he done for the slave was good but there is no excuse to not allow a person to have its freedom.
ReplyDeleteNysha Johnson
i had admire George Washington. Although I am opposed to slavery. I think some slave owners treated the slaves very well and treated them like family. Many slave owners treated slaves very badly and were very mean to the slaves. It was a different time then and slavery was accepted at that time, even though its hard to imagine that anyone could own another person.
ReplyDeleteGeorge Washington had a lot of slaves. At that time it was legal and accepted by many.
It seems like he treated his slaves well. He let them marry and didnt separate families.
Although I think slavery is terrible, at least Washington who was from the south was a decent person and treated his slaves well. But there is still no excuse for slavery and the fact that he had slaves makes me think differently about him. I don't respect him as much as I did before.
Ranya Haney Kenyon
What I think is that during this time period people needed workers, and in this case those workers are slaves.George Washington may have owned that many slaves but he treated them pretty well and paid them like actual "bosses" would for their workers. He made sure they were educated and was treated right. So even though he owned slaves in his mind he seen them as real workers not slaves. I mean during this time period plantation owners have large amount of acres of land and they needed people to take care of that right? So it's like he takes care of them and they take care of him by being his "helpers". I think even if he owned slaves he is still a good man for the things he did for them oppose to the other slave masters, he cared for them.
ReplyDeleteAlyssa Boquila
I think George Washington is a great man. I admire him because of his bravery and the leadership ability to became the first president of U.S.A. At that time, Middle and South Colony depended on the cotton farm. They needed a lot of worker to do the work, and so they made the slaves did the work. For me, every persons deserves to be equal. Although George Washington opposed the slavery after the American Revolutionary War, he owned 317 slaves at the time of his death. But, He also was one of the only plantation owners to recognize slave marriages and did not let his slaves to be separated from their family. Only few people at that time cared about slaves except for being a property, despite of that George Washington stated in his will to pay for his slave's freedom after his wife, Martha, died. Slaves was much better to be with him rather than to be with another slave owner, because slaves be regarded as a property and clearly Washington still regarded them as a human being. Personally, I still think him as a great man and I respect him even though I opposed the slavery.
ReplyDeleteMalvin H. Wijaya
George Washington is a good person and also a good president. The way he treated the slaves was better than most slave owners. He actually saw the slaves as human beings and recognized slave marriages. George Washington also knows how important family is, so he tries to keep slave families together rather than splitting them apart. In the end Washington was still a hypocrite because he went against slavery but was he owned slaves.
ReplyDeleteThe society back then was shaped in a way that slavery was dominant and that freeing slaves was not going to make much of a change.People had looked into the freedom of slaves but no real action was taken. Washington took care of the slaves because he knew that other slave owners will abuse and overwork their slaves. Washington wrote in his will that when his wife Martha died that Mount Vernon would be sold to help pay for education and freedom of his slaves. This shows that Washington thought of his slaves throughout his whole life, he believed that everyone in the United States should have equal freedom, even the slaves.
I believe slavery is wrong just like what George Washington believed, but he should have taken more action against slavery. He was the president of the United States, he had a lot of power in the government. He should have proposed a law to Congress and made a change for what he believed was right.
By: Stephen Taing
George Washington was someone great in American history because of accomplishments that was achieved when the United States of America was being developed. Slavery was a big part of the development of the US. His feelings on slavery was hypocritical because he owned slaves himself. He believed that everyone should be equal.
ReplyDeleteGeorge Washington did care for his slaves better than most slave owners. He was one of the only plantation owners that allowed slaves to marry. He refused to sell slaves if it was going to separate a family. He also sold his estate and funded to the development of freedom and education of the slaves he owned after him and his wife's death.
In my opinion I think that George Washington was wrong for owning slaves because slavery is bad no matter how its adjusted. I still think he was a great person because of what he did during his lifetime to sculpt the US to what it is today.
-Popreak Sou
I think its still not right because he owned slaves. He treated them nice and everything but at the end of everything he still had them. He is a good man he was a great general.Just because they were black they shouldn't be treated like dogs. He allowed his slaves to get an education. Also he didn't allow the to be taken away from their family. I guest because he was a leader and everybody who was rich had slaves it wasn't really a choice. Washington was smart and even though having slaves was wrong his slaves was lucky to be his. He cared for them and made sure they was good before he died. So it was wrong for him to own them but he was nice..
ReplyDeleteJessica Watts
I think George Washington had slaves because he needed to make money. He had a lot of slaves because he had a large plantation and house and he needed someone to work for him so he can raise money. Yea he was against slavery but he needed someone to work for him. Also, he didn't treat them horribly, like some other slaveowners. He let them have some freedom and let them do their traditions. he didn't stop them from being them. If I was a wealthy person back then, and I had a huge house and farm, I would need someone to tend to it when I'm not there. I am totally against slavery, but I kind of know where he's coming from. I wouldn't treat them wrongly. I would give them freedom and treat them like regular people, because that's what they are. George Washington only did this to make and save money. He's a smart person.
ReplyDeleteIn My Opinion Even Though George Washington Was A Slave Owner He Was A Good Slave Master. He Showed Respect For His Slave. He Recognized Them Unlike Any Other Slave Owners Back In The Time. He Wanted His Slaves To Have An Education And To Have Freedom. So Out Of 317 Slaves Only 124 In His Will Was Granted With The Right To Have An Education And Freedom That May Not be All Of His Slaves But Atleast Its Some.
ReplyDeleteHe Recognized Slave Marriages Which Most slave Owners Didnt Do Back In That Time. He Shows Much Respect For His Slaves. Other Slaves Owners Wouldnt Care Less If Their Slave Owners Get Married Or Not. George WAshington Shows Consideration and Understanding To His Slaves.
George Washington Refuse To Sell His Slaves If It Meant Seperating and Dividing Their Families. He Shows Concern and Compassion For His Slaves Families. Back Then Having Slaves Was How They Made A Living So I Dont Judge Him For Having Slaves For The Simple Fact That George Washington Seemed Like He Never Disrespected His Slaves, He Treated Them With Respect Understanding Concern and Compassion Than Most Cruel and Ignorant Slave Owners In That Time Period.
Serina Banks
Even though, George Washington was the first one to recognize slave marriages,repeatedly refused to sell slaves if it meant that they would be separated from their families, and that in his will upon his wife Martha's death, his estate, Mount Vernon, would be sold. Additionally, the proceeds would be used to pay for the freedom and education of the 124 slaves that he owned outright.This tells me about George Washington that he accepted slavery.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, if he was against slavery he is suppose to be an example for others and leave his slaves free, so they could banned slavery, however, it seems like he do not like the idea of having to lose money, if he sets them all free.
Secondly, is understandable to say that he was not a bad person, but, he knew it was wrong to keep slaves still,so that is not an excuse to have slaves just because his slaves had this protection.
Finally, George Washington did not have enough courage to set slaves free, even thought he knew that was wrong.
-Diana Cruz
I think George Washington was a little hypocritical about his thoughts on slavery. He explained how he didn't want to sell his slave because he recognized how hard it would be for them to be apart from their families. But, still, he didn't give them their freedom. Even though G.W. was supposedly a great president, (I've never met him), he should've thought of his roots and how the Americans came to be. Free from the British. They faught till the finish. Slaves never had a say. I mean, they did fight, but didn't prevail for about three hundred years.
ReplyDeleteHe knew he was wrong keeping the slaves, but I guesss he wanted that power.
-Ruth Fraticelli
In my opinion, George Washington is a great man during the American History. Even though he owned 317 slaves at the time of his death, he at least have some sympathy towards the slaves and not like the other plantation owner. George Washington was the first plantation owner who recognize slaves marriages, yet he refused to sell slaves even though that would split the family. Upon Martha's death will, he stated that he would pay the education and the freedom of the 124 slaves that he owned outright. I didn't think that he would mean any harm to those slaves that he owned because, I think that George Washington is a better plantation owner any other slaves could ever had. Beside him doing slavery, i'm sure that he need tons of people to help him out to do what's right for the country. Because of him, he led our country to victory and freedom.
ReplyDelete-Angeline Low
George washungton, a man of great valor and leadership skills. He lead America to victory against the British for freedom and independence. Learning that a man that fought against the British for Americas freedom, has a lot of slaves working for him. To me he seems like a hypocrite, how could he have enslaved Africans working for him. He fought for freedom, he knew it was wrong to have the rights and freedom taken away from you but he still have enslaved people working for him. He had treated them like human but looking through all the good things he gave them and how he supposedly treated them, and only 124 of them get freed and educated after his words die with the money from his house being sold. If he wanted them to be free but he could have just freed them but he didnt, his morality could be questioned by this. He could be a hypocrite after all.
ReplyDeleteHenry ariyakham
Okay, So Yah George Washington was the first president and all. He did lead our country or America to win the battle against the British for Independence. He also claimed 317 slaves but he didn't treat horribly. He took good care of them and everything but the only thing he didn't give them is their freedom. In my opinion I can say that it was kinda wrong that he enslaved them but at the same time it was good for them, because who knows, what if someone else claimed them? They could of made it worst for their lives, on the other hand George Washington still treated as human, still let them stay with their families ( Didn't sell any of the slaves). But he said that when he dies, his slaves are free but after he dies, so it kinda shows that he wanted to live a good ending but its kinda not fair for them BUT its still okay because they still got treated right , just not freedom wise. So when he did dies, he only let like 124 slaves to have education, to me this wasn't the fair part but at least they received education after, and they can teach each other what they learn so they still get to learn something. SO he is kinda a hypocrite but in general, the slaves are still in good condition in life because they aren't corrupted with evil and terror
ReplyDeleteBy TERRY THE BEST NAY
TO Lon Dollars Or "Captial G"
I believe that George Washington was a good/nice president. Even though he owned 317 slaves, he treated them right. Washington was one of the first slave owners to recognize slave marriages. He refused repeatedly that he would not sell any of his slaves if it meant splitting a family. Washington also has stated in his will that his land will be sold and the money will be used to pay off his slaves freedom and education for the 124 that he owned outright. It does kind of goes both ways because he still owned slaves, but at least he kept them from harm of any other slave owners.
ReplyDeleteBy; Sambathany Hean The Great.
To; Mr. Lon The Peasant.
George Washington owned 317 slaves at the time of his death. George Washington repeatedly refused to sell slaves if it meant that they would be separated from their families. I believe that George Washington was an honorable and respectful man because he understands the fact that you can't separate families because its a sin. All the slave owners I heard of were very cruel because they treated the slaves like animals where you get whipped by your owner because you drank water without their permission.
ReplyDeleteYet, to me George Washington didn't owned any slaves because he gave them all the love, respect and loyalty they needed, he treated them like his own family where the slaves are just doing work for him like we do it for our families and loved ones where in return they get lots of respect and love. Any guy that is said to be the slave owner where the owner gives his slaves love and respect can never be a slave owner because a slave is someone who takes the soul out of your body and you're just a machine that works him where if you get sick or die they will just throw you away.
George Washington was a great man because he knows the difference between a human and an animal and I love the fact where he treated the slaves with respect and love. George also stated in his will that the money he gets from his land will pay off the slaves freedom. Yet, the slaves will always remember him of what a great guy he was.
As a young man i use to look up on George Washington. I stopped when i found out a couple of years ago that he had all these slaves. I know frown upon the establishment that George Washington had all these slaves. If i had a way to go back in time i would kill him because i never liked slavery.
ReplyDeleteI feel like even though George Washington owned slaves he was a good slave master and general he felt like it was important that the slaves he did own shouldn't be sold away from their families. George Washington seemed to have grew attached with his slaves and actually cared for them.
ReplyDeleteBeing So That George Did own slaves, but should he be hated for that or loved for the fact that he was a great president and great general. Besides In His Time Slavery was something everyone did everybody had slaves, but at least he treated his slave humane. George wanted his slaves to be well educated and all.
All in All George Washington Was great man And is today still recognized for his greatness. He recognized marriage between the slaves and even when he shouldn't he showed them respect.
Well basically from my understanding of George Washington he was probably trying to fit as much slave on his property that he can, so that they can have a better life.For what the short Passage states he was a fair person and he allowed the slaves to marry one another, he also was against separated the family's from one another. George Washington was a caring person with understanding of another soul and compassion. For the time of period this has occur through slavery he showed weakness toward the slave not because he was scared but he cared for them.
ReplyDeleteBut put your self in his shoes and see the real reason he might have own 317 slave. It actually says in the passage he can do but so many, by saying that he "repeatedly refuse the selling of his slave" why because he,s doing his best to hold on to the slaves rather then abandon them giving them off to a cruel person. George Washington perhaps was one of many to care for slaves at this time.
My opinion i have against George Washington is that why save little when you could have save more during the years he was President. With short of a great power he has on the United State he should have showed every slave owner that slavery really should not be apart of the future of the new country. Instead he embellish the current reality of the future of establishing a new society.
I always thought that slavery was a terrible thing that can exist and be done to a human being. In the time that I learned about slavery I learned that most slave masters were cruel. They treated humans worse than animals they treated them in a degrading way. But George Washington didn't he treated them as a human should be treated. All humans should be treated with respect and love.
ReplyDeleteEven though he own slaves that doesn't mean he was cruel with them. He actually accepted slave marriages and gave them an opportunity to live their own social life. That is something an actual man would allow their slave to do. He didn't treat their slaves like other slave masters did. Even though slavery is a cruel thing done to a human being G.Washington didn't make it that bad to his slaves.
I also like the fact that he didn't wanted to sale slaves if they we going to be separated from their families. That is a wonderful thing he did for the slaves. By not allowing slaves to be separated from their families he showed to the salves some respect and compassion. No other slave master would have done that to a salve G. Washington was a unique and real man. After all G. Washington wasn't a bad and cruel master to his own slaves.
Sandra Sanchez
because time periods during the revolutionary war, slavery was widely accepted in united states they salves was considered no more than farm animals or merchants, George Washington as the hero of the war, would show how even upper class can sometime be better than others. so George Washington was a sort of men who wanted to take the wealth but still wanted to leave a good reputation behind.
ReplyDeleteGeorge Washington owned 317 slaves at the time of his death, that amount of slave could run a rather large plantation. no matter how he treated the salve they were still forced to do backbreaking work every single day, in comparison if George Washington pay worker to replace the slaves than history could prove that he is really different even off of battlefield.
now George Washington is know for being the first president of united state, who just lead the country which just break away and won a war against the British Empire. his historical images wouldn't be so good if he sold away family and force mother leave their children. At the end of his life maybe still wanted to make up for being a slave holder he did sold Mount Vernon and the proceeds would be used to pay for the freedom and education of the 124 slaves that he owned outright. that maybe a positive thing to do but why do George Washington have to wait until after he die?
I don’t look down upon George Washington, but I don’t agree with the fact that he owned 317 slaves. Remember, George Washington was the 1st president of the United States. This meant he was the leader. He could’ve tried the best of his abilities to end slavery, but he chose not to. If he really did have a heart; he would have seen that slaves were humans not an object that can be possess.
ReplyDeleteWashington was the president; he had the powers in his hands. He could have used that power to convince the people that slavery was wrong. He could have stood up for the slaves and sat the slave owners down. Washington had all the powers he needed, but he didn’t use it for the issue that was right in front of him.
Yes, he did treat his slaves with compassion and respect, but it still doesn’t change the fact that they were his belongings. It’s like a child who own toys; he wouldn’t want to sell or give away his toys. He keeps on collecting them. He treats them with care because he is afraid of losing them. George Washington was nothing, but a toy collector. He didn’t see slaves as humans, but as collections.
George Washington owned 317 slaves until his death but he treated his slaves like human beings not property.He refused to sell his slaves if it would separate themselves from their families.Most slave owners would treat their slaves as property and they didn't care if they would be separated from their families.Washington was a war hero and a honorable man and he needed slaves to help around his house because he was busy fighting the war.
ReplyDeleteTo me Washington didn't own any slaves because he treated them with love and care like the slaves were part of his family.Unlike other slave owners which they whipped you for doing things with out their permission.
Washington was the 1st president of The United States and he won the American Revolution by defeating Great Britten.He also stated in his will that i slaves would get education from the money from his estate.
From Allen Xiao
It is important to know that slavery had existed in various forms throughout most of the most of the World. Throughout most of human history. Traditionally slavery had nothing to do with race or skin color. Many people were enslaved by neighboring tribes or cities. For example natives in North America had enslaved each other long before the Europeans arrived.
ReplyDeleteGeorge Washington owned over 300 slaves but it was very common for a person with power to own slaves. Back in Washington time it was common for slave owners to disrespect mistreat and abuse or hurt the slaves. But Washington did things different. He would treat them with respect and regard for there well being. He would not separate a family and kept them together. Yes he still owned slaves but it was very common.
In conclusion Washington stood for the emancipation act for blacks to be treated as equals. Washington could have done many other things but he did do what other people was doing to slaves back then but rather treated them as human beings.
George Washington was a great man to the people of the colonies but he owned slaves. Its like he was a hypocrite because people at that time especially the president George Washington said everyone should be equal but he owned slaves and they weren’t equal. I truly believe that George Washington wasn’t a bad master like most of the other owners. He did want his slaves to educated and he would pay for it. He even put them in his will to pay for their freedom. He didn’t want to split up his slave families. So he wasn’t a bad master he cared for them.
ReplyDeleteI heard that he didn’t just go out and buy slaves he inherited them from his father. But even though he was a good slave owner it is not right to own slaves. I am against slavery. But slaves couldn’t be free until 100 years later, even after they were free, discrimination occurs.Slavery was cruel and if George Washington really cared about slaves, he would give them freedom or at least live in the same place as they do.
In my own point of view, I do not agree with slavery. I think slavery is against basic human rights. I wonder a lot about why slaves don't just stood up and fight for themselves. I think every person has a good side and the bad side of them. So as George Washington, he could be a president of the country or the owner of 317 slaves.
Even though George Washington treated slaves better than other masters treated their slaves. I still don't like the fact that he owned so many of them, 317 to be exact. Also it is not like the slaves didn't do anything, they still had to work many hours of the day. Also George Washington was the president and i feel as though if he really did care about all of the slaves he would have tried and put an end to slavery and stop some masters from treating the slaves so badly.
ReplyDeleteEven though he did not treat slaves like nothings and treated them fairly well. I still believe that slavery is wrong no matter what. The slaves he owned still worked for him doing hard chores everyday and in the hot sun.
I do not agree with slavery at all. It seems to me like slaves were the masters property, even though they were human beings just like the rest of us. They didn't need to go through the things that i could only imagine they had to. Wrong is wrong no matter how someone does it.
Well, honestly I don't really think it matter if he had slaves or didn't have slaves. The fact that he did and didn't don't make him any less or more of a good man. I mean so what if he did have slaves I mean at that time many people have had slaves, it was a common thing among the people. As much as we don't want to admit it and as much as we try to deny it there were slaves way back too. I personally don't think slave trade and slavery is exactly a right thing because I don't thing anyone can be label or better yet I don't believe anyone is a worth a number. But the fact that George Washington did have slaves I don't think it made him a bad person.
ReplyDeleteIf everyone were to have slaves and there were nothing but benefices from it why not right? I mean back than, like back in the 1900's people believe that smoking was innocent so everyone did it, just with slavery, everyone think its an innocent thing. Also you got to remember that slaves back than weren't even consider human, they were property, so was it wrong that George Washington did that? yes, Was it bad that George Washington did that ? No.
It might not have been exactly a human thing to do but even if he wanted that to change its not something that was that easy to do, he isn't in charge of the laws and if he were to propose a law it would require years and the approval of other states too, so don't blame him for having slaves, I mean at least he treated them well, If they were to be in the hands of someone else it would of been worst, most slaves owner are oh so cruel.
-Emily Nguyen
I believed that George Washington was a good and wise man. Although he owned 317 slaves, but he was not a bad guy. He still a good master who cared about all his slaves. And I think there were some reasons for him to own all those slaves.
ReplyDeleteOne of the reason was he tried to save the slaves from bad masters who want to separate the slaves from their family. So, George Washington refused to sell his slaves if they would be separated from their families. And it was cheaper to buy slaves than to free the slaves.
George Washington was always a nice and caring master. At the end of his life he still payed for the freedom and education of the 124 slaves that he owned.
- Tandi Nadia
I think that George Washington was a marvelous person that did a lot of fabulous things for the U.S.A. One of those things was how he treated his slaves as human beings, not like other masters. Plus, he freed most of his slaves. He didn't pay to free all of them, but i thought of it, and he probably was trying to be smart. He probably preferred to free some of them and pay for their education so they become well educated and then they can fight for the freedom of other people, than to pay for all of his slaves' freedom and after they can get it, they can't even do anything important to fight for other people's freedom because they're not educated.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, George Washington is the father and hero of the country. Although that he had own slaves but he still was a great leader but i honestly think that slavery is wrong. I opposed slavery but he was a good slaves owner, he wasn't a bad slave own as other.
ReplyDeleteDuring that time slavery was accepted. There are one reason that i think George Washington was good owner because he was refuse to sell his slavers and don't want to split their family apart from others. He also allowed his slaves to get married. I honestly respected him and i think he was the good master.
In my point of view, George Washington was a honestly man. He was the only plantation that let slavery get married and education. He was really caring about his slave and treated them as human being like others. The most important he was do was he would used to pay freedom and education for slave.
-Thaisor Va
In the 1700s it was common to own slaves when you were wealthy, owning slaves would have made people seem wealthier, respectable, and honorable. When owning slaves more people would want to associate with you and do business such as trade and more.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion i feel as though Washington is still an honorable and respectable man not only because he was a great general and the first president of the united states, but because he was unlike the other slave owners, George Washington treated the slaves he owned as human beings, he allowed them to marry, and he refused to split a family which meant if you wanted to buy a slave from him you would either buy the whole family or no one at all. He also said that when him and his wife passed all his belongings would be used to further his slaves education and they would be freed.
In conclusion, I feel as though George Washington was an honorable man despite him having slaves.
-Ettinna Torn
In the essence of the time period, it was common for men of higher status to have slaves. George Washington had slaves but he treated them with some respect. Even though, he owned slaves, doesn't mean he wasn't a man with morals.
ReplyDeleteIn that period of time, separating slave families was very common. It was a heartless act but it benefited the slave master. However, George Washington refused to sell slaves that had families which shows that he has a sense of family and morality.
Lastly, George Washington was also willing to sell his estate and give the proceeds to a portion of his slaves to pay for their freedom and education. That shows that he cared somewhat for his slaves that he was willing to sell his estate and give it to his slaves not his own family.
In my own opinion, I think George Washington was an honest and honorable man. Even though he practiced slavery, he had limitations and rules on how he treated his slaves. Slavery is wrong in my book, but to George Washington and to his generation it was normal for someone of his status to have a slave. Now some people may have mistreated their slaves and separated them from their families, but Washington would rather treat his slaves with respect and would refuse to sell his slaves if it meant separation of their families.
ReplyDeleteAlthough he had many slaves on his plantation, he stated in his will that prior to his and his wife's death the plantation he owned will be sold for the freedom and education of the 124 slaves he owned outright. So that showed that he was a man of much honor and respect. He didn't want his slaves to continue working after his death. He treated his slave families as if they were his own family.
In conclusion, even though George Washington owned slaves he kept a mutual respect with his slaves and treated his slaves with much respect even up to his death.
-Hunter Sankar
During these times owning slaves was a common thing to do. It was considered as societies norm so, George Washington owning slaves doesn't make him any less of a war general, president or man. He had morals obviously because he treated his slaves with enough respect to recognize their marriages and and he knows a family is a family and they should split them up regardless of color or status.
ReplyDeleteYour average slave owners only cared about crops, cheap labor and income. They didn't care for these slaves on personal levels to even care if they wanted to marry. They'd split families if that mean money. The fact that Washington didn't want to do these things shows he has family morals.
He also said that when he passed away that all proceeds from is plantation is to go towards the slaves freedom and education. Not a lot of people would do this for slaves.
In all, i believe George Washington is a good man with good morals.
George Washington was a great man, with pure intentions ad a magnificent moral compass. the fact that he owned says nothing about his morality, in his time it was just the social norm. owning slaves only said whether you had money or not. owning slaves was not a bad thing. it is easy for is to look back at this from a 21st century standpoint. we have been exposed to the horrors of slavery, the words of malcom X, abraham lincoln, and martin luther king. we know these things are wrong, but my man G-wash was totally oblivious to these teachings. he was a great man, and for his time the fact that he treated these slaves as close to human shows his true colors as an empathetic human.
ReplyDeleteGeorge Washington owned 317 slaves ,but this did not mean that he was not a good man or president.He cared for his slaves .Treated them with respect.he saw them as human ,if he did not he would not repeatedly refuse to sell slaves if it meant to separate their families.I can understand that slavery is a horror and they did not have great lives.In the case,of George Washington he also allowed for slave marriages and was the only plantation owner to recognize that.He also,stated on his will that upon his wife Martha's death he would proceed to pay the freedom and education of the 124 slaves he owned .Even though his pay is not to all his slaves he is a good man to slaves because we have to see that he is using the will of his wife to help as many slaves as he can. -Radhalcely Morel
ReplyDeleteGeorge Washington was a regular rich, white, American man of the 1700s but, that didn't make him a bad person. Slave were like I phones back in the day if you had the money to purchase one or a hundred you did. just like you aren't a bad person if you buy an i phone even though Apple pays there Chinese factory workers less then what they have to pay in tax.
ReplyDeleteIf you think George Washington was a vile individual for owning slaves you're in titled to your opinion but, George treated his slaves better than almost all other slave owner in his time. If Washington was anything he was a family man he did his best to keep his slaves families together which to me seems like a kind selfless thing to do. George also bought his slaves freedom after his death which back in the day was unheard of seems like a morally righteous man to me. George recognized slave marriage which shows that he seen his slaves as more than property he recognized that they were people too.
George gave his slaves a gift after he died which was the opposite of what they have experience their whole life and that gift was freedom. Last time i checked a history book i never heard of a slave receiving gift. slaves only were giving what they needed but Washington gave them more than what was convenient and that's why I believe he is a morally descent person.
George Washigton was a rich man who used slaves to run his plantation. During th 1700's this wasent uncommon for lots of wealthy people. Even though, he owned slaves he treated them with a rearonable amount of respect. He keeped familes of slaves togher. He educated all of his 317 slaves with his own money. He even went as far as as to recognizing slave marrage.
ReplyDeleteSo i dont think he was a bad man at all for the simple fact that he didnt have to do any of the things he did. If he was he wouldnt have left his estate to his slaves. So over all i think he was a pretty fair person, and slave owners.
ReplyDeleteGeorge Washington-what was he? A SLAVE OWNER! Is anybody paying attention to those words? Any takers??
Look ,I don't really have a big opinion of the man but the fact that he owns slaves. Now some people night look at this and say " you're just saying this because your black!" I'm not saying it because I'm black ,rather I'm saying it because I think it's wrong for humans to own one another. Plain and simple. I understand that he was one of the only plantation owners to recognize slave marriages and he refused to sell slaves if that meant that families would be separated, but it still didn't earn any brownie points with me. All in all,these people were still slaves-they didn't have rights over their own bodies or the fact that they were slaves. They had to what they were told ,when they were told, how they were told ,and in the allotted time that their master's had given to them. It's all fine and well what he tried to do ,and for what he did do-it was nice but it still didn't change that they were taken from their homeland ,stripped of their ability to think for themselves and to make their own decisions ,and forced to work in not-so-pleasant conditions and to top it all off-they didn't get paid for it!!! Now this wasn't volunteer work, they didn't say" Hey! I don't mind giving of my free time to work for you! " Nah! They were forced to work and they didn't have a voice- why? Because it was stolen from them. They were at their owner's disposal. Now it was nice that he didn't separate families and allowed slaves to marry but maybe if he didn't have slaves at all.my opinion would change but since it was what it was back then(not to mention we cant rewind time and change things), I don't think George Washington is such a big deal. That may sound mean or disrespectful(and I don't mean to be) but I will not apologize for the way I feel. He owned slaves and what's done is done. The End
Well then..ugh...At that time slavery was common, so he can't really be that much of a bad guy, everyone else owned slaves so he should too.If anyone had the choice of having a slave or not, they probably would have a slave.It's less work for you,as in a matter of fact I'd own one.I don't see anything wrong with having a slave unless you treat them right.Also he helped out his slaves, can't really say the same for the other slave owners.If George Washington treated his slaves badly than I would say that his morals were wrong but he treated them with respect.It's not even like they were slaves, it sounds more like George Washington helping out 317 people out with their lives.
ReplyDeleteGeorge Washington also did things that other slave owners wouldn't do,he paid for the freedom and education for them.Now how could you say that his morals were wrong after that?He did have slaves, that is known as a fact.But he really didn't treat them as slaves.He treated his slaves as actual people, as in a matter of fact even better,so that's another reason why he isn't such a bad guy.Also he wasn't a evil douche who'd sell his slaves if it meant separating them from their families, if George Washing was a bad guy he wouldn't care about separating them and just sell them.But on the other hand it says he wouldn't sell his slaves if it meant separating them from their families, so that would mean that he would sell the slaves, and probably to a bad owner.So that's not so good of a thing to do,but overall he's still a nice guy.And did I mention in his will it says that he wants to use the money to pay for the freedom of the slaves? So that must mean that he really didn't want there to even be slavery and whatnot.
So yeah, in conclusion George Washington may had owned 317 slaves by the time of his death, but he still treated them with respect, and did the things he did to help them out, other than your regular ole ordinary slave owner who wouldn't actually do those things for slaves.And George Washington's morals weren't so bad, yeah...
~Andrew White......