Episode 4: Living

11/29/21 • 39 min

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Intertwined: The Enslaved Community at George Washington’s Mount Vernon

Episode 4: “Living”

Kate, her husband Will, and their children lived and worked on Muddy Hole Farm. When her family suffered a tragedy, they drew strength from the kinship ties and friendships they shared with other members of Mount Vernon’s enslaved community. In this episode, we examine daily life, culture, and religious practices of the enslaved people at the plantation. We also explore how on-going archeological work at Mount Vernon helps us piece together the enslaved community’s lived experience and recover their voices when the written record falls silent.

Featuring:

Dr. Brenda Stevenson, Hillary Rodham Clinton Endowed Chair in Women’s History, St. John’s College, Oxford University
Dr. Eleanor Breen, City Archaeologist, City of Alexandria
Dr. Kelley Fanto Deetz, Director of Collections and Visitor Engagement, Stratford Hall Plantation, and Director of Education and Historic Interpretation, Virginia’s Executive Mansion
Mary V. Thompson, Research Historian, Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington
Dr. Jason Boroughs, Research Archaeologist, George Washington’s Mount Vernon
Dr. Marcus Nevius, Associate Professor of History and African Studies, University of Rhode Island
Jessie MacLeod, Associate Curator, George Washington’s Mount Vernon

Full transcripts, show notes, and bibliographies available at www.georgewashingtonpodcast.com.

Episode 4: “Living”

Featuring:

Dr. Brenda Stevenson, Hillary Rodham Clinton Endowed Chair in Women’s History, St. John’s College, Oxford University
Dr. Eleanor Breen, City Archaeologist, City of Alexandria
Dr. Kelley Fanto Deetz, Director of Collections and Visitor Engagement, Stratford Hall Plantation, and Director of Education and Historic Interpretation, Virginia’s Executive Mansion
Mary V. Thompson, Research Historian, Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington
Dr. Jason Boroughs, Research Archaeologist, George Washington’s Mount Vernon
Dr. Marcus Nevius, Associate Professor of History and African Studies, University of Rhode Island
Jessie MacLeod, Associate Curator, George Washington’s Mount Vernon

Full transcripts, show notes, and bibliographies available at www.georgewashingtonpodcast.com.

Previous Episode

Episode 3: Revolutions

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Episode 3: “Revolutions”

William Lee was George Washington’s trusted enslaved valet. For over two decades, he attended Washington from early morning until nightfall. In times of peace and war, Lee rode with Washington through Mount Vernon’s fields, out to his western lands, and into battle against the British. In this episode, we follow Lee’s journey to investigate revolutions in Mount Vernon’s agricultural life, American politics, and Washington’s views on slavery.

Featuring:

Dr. Bruce Ragsdale, former Director of the Federal Judicial History Office
Jessie MacLeod, Associate Curator, George Washington’s Mount Vernon
Dr. Cassandra Good, Assistant Professor of History, Marymount University
Dr. Lynn Price Robbins, historian of George and Martha Washington and Early America
Ramin Ganeshram, Executive Director, Westport Museum for History and Culture

Full transcripts, show notes, and bibliographies available at www.georgewashingtonpodcast.com.

Next Episode

Episode 5: Resisting

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Episode 5: “Resisting”

In May 1796, Ona Judge self-emancipated by fleeing from President George Washington’s Philadelphia home. Her escape was just one example of the many ways that Mount Vernon’s enslaved community resisted their bondage. Some acts were subtle and easy to miss, others were much more dramatic, regardless the threat of punishment was ever present. In this episode, we follow Judge’s flight to freedom, and explore the stories of Hercules Posey and Harry Washington, to examine how enslaved people defied George and Martha Washington’s authority.

Featuring:

Jessie MacLeod, Associate Curator, George Washington’s Mount Vernon
Dr. Marcus Nevius, Associate Professor of History and African Studies, University of Rhode Island
Mary V. Thompson, Research Historian, Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington
Dr. Cassandra Pybus, Professor of History Emerita, The University of Sydney
Ramin Ganeshram, Executive Director, Westport Museum for History and Culture

Full transcripts, show notes, and bibliographies available at www.georgewashingtonpodcast.com.