George Washington was an accomplished man. He served as a delegate to the First and Second Continental Congresses, Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army, first President of the United States, and on top of all that he was also a savvy businessman who ran a successful plantation.
George Washington was also a slaveholder. In 1789, he and his wife Martha took 7 slaves to New York City to serve them in their new role as First Family. A 16 year-old girl named Ona Judge was one of the enslaved women who accompanied and served the Washingtons.
Erica Dunbar, a Professor of Black American Studies and History at the University of Delaware and author of Never Caught: The Washington’s Relentless Pursuit of Their Runaway Slave Ona Judge, leads us through the early American life of Ona Judge.
About the Show
Ben Franklin’s World is a podcast about early American history.
It is a show for people who love history and for those who want to know more about the historical people and events that have impacted and shaped our present-day world.
Each episode features a conversation with a historian who helps us shed light on important people and events in early American history.
Episode Summary
Erica Dunbar, a Professor of Black American Studies and History at the University of Delaware and author of Never Caught: The Washington’s Relentless Pursuit of Their Runaway Slave Ona Judge, leads us through the early American life of Ona Judge.
During our exploration of Ona’s fascinating life, Erica reveals who Ona Judge was and how she came to be one of the Washingtons’ enslaved women; What George and Martha Washington were like as slaveholders; And, the story of how Ona Judge ran away and lived the life of a fugitive slave.
What You’ll Discover
- Ona Judge
- George and Martha Washington as slaveholders
- Ona’s responsibilities as First Lady Martha Washington’s personal servant
- What it was like for the seven enslaved servants the Washingtons took north
- How Ona became Martha Washington’s top slave
- Childhood experiences of enslaved men and women
- Slavery in Philadelphia and Pennsylvania in the 1780s and 1790s
- Why and how Ona Judge ran away from the Washingtons
- Ona Judge’s life as a fugitive slave living in coastal New England
- The Washingtons’ pursuit of Ona Judge
- How Erica researched and wrote Never Caught
Links to People, Places, and Publications
- Erica Dunbar
- Erica’s Website
- Never Caught: The Washington’s Relentless Pursuit of Their Runaway Slave Ona Judge
- A Fragile Freedom: African American Women in the Antebellum City
Sponsor Links
- Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture
- William and Mary Quarterly
- Episode 105: Joshua Piker, How Historians Publish History (Behind-the-scenes of the William and Mary Quarterly)
Complementary Episodes
- Episode 026: Robert Middlekauff, George Washington’s Revolution
- Episode 033: Douglas Bradburn, George Washington and His Library
- Episode 061: Edward Larson, George Washington in Retirement
- Episode 074: Mary Wigge, Martha Washington
- Episode 083: Jared Hardesty, Unfreedom: Slavery in Colonial Boston
- Episode 089: Jessica Millward, Slavery and Freedom in Early Maryland
Time Warp Question
In your opinion, what might have happened if Ona Judge had not run away? What do you think her life would have been like at Eliza Custis Law’s slave?
Questions, Comments, Suggestions
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