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John Langdon
Elizabeth Langdon was the daughter of John Langdon. Elizabeth spotted Ona Judge on the streets of Portsmouth in 1796 and recognized her even though it had been years since they’d last come into contact at Washington’s High Street mansion in Philadelphia. Elizabeth Langdon quickly returned home and told her father that she’d seen Washington’s fugitive slave, leading to Langdon contacting Washington with information as to Ona’s whereabouts and setting in motion a chase to bring Ona back to Virginia.
Elizabeth Langdon Quotes in Never Caught
The Never Caught quotes below are all either spoken by Elizabeth Langdon or refer to Elizabeth Langdon . For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter 10 Quotes
Why would any of the Washingtons' slaves run away, especially Ona Judge? Hadn't she been treated well, clothed, and fed? […] Even though John Langdon was no longer a slaveholder, he knew what must be done. Not only were the Washingtons family friends, but as a senator of the United States, he was obligated to follow the law. Ona Judge was a fugitive and the Washingtons were entitled to their property.
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In this passage, as New Hampshire senator John Langdon’s daughter Elizabeth recognizes Ona Judge on the streets of Portsmouth, Dunbar imagines how the rhetoric of slavery, paternalism, and racism would’ve informed the Langdons’ feelings about encountering one of George Washington’s escaped slaves. Though the Langdons themselves were, in comparison to the dominant discourse of the time, anti-slavery, they, too, made assumptions and inquiries rooted in paternalism. The Langdons—even in spite of their own personal divestment from the institution of slavery—were still more aligned socially, politically, and ideologically with slaveholders like Washington than they were with Black men and women. Thus, Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error.
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Elizabeth Langdon Character Timeline in Never Caught
The timeline below shows where the character Elizabeth Langdon appears in Never Caught. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 10
...New Hampshire politician, is one of the most powerful men in the nation—and his daughter Elizabeth is friendly with Washington’s granddaughter Nelly. In the 1790s, Elizabeth even visited the High Street...
(full context)
