Fraunces Tavern Museum

In this lecture, recorded June 17, 2020, Mount Vernon Research Historian Mary Thompson offers a comprehensive account of those who served in bondage at Mount Vernon. Drawing on years of research in a wide range of sources, Thompson brings to life the lives of the enslaved while illuminating the radical change in Washington’s views on slavery and race wrought by the American Revolution, ending in his decision to grant his slaves freedom in his will.