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George Washington
Martha Washington was the first first lady of the United States of America, and the wife of George Washington. After the death of her first husband, Martha remarried George—but when George became a Revolutionary War hero and the clear choice for the first president of the fledgling United States, Martha found herself facing a public life she never dreamed of. The wealthy widow Martha, in possession of an enormous number of “dower slaves,” or human “property” inherited upon the death of her first husband, was of a nervous constitution, perhaps brought on by the deaths of several of her children from her first marriage. Martha and George together doted upon the children of Martha’s children, particularly Wash, Nelly, and the mercurial but favored Eliza. As Martha and George moved north from Mount Vernon to New York, and later Philadelphia, Martha relied heavily upon the bondwomen who served her as housemaids and personal attendants. She was determined to do anything she could to retain her “property” once Northern anti-slavery sentiments and laws alike threatened her ability to maintain ownership of the enslaved men and women whom she viewed as personal assets. Martha attempted to give Ona, one of her personal attendants, to her granddaughter Eliza on the occasion of Eliza’s marriage. This careless shuffling of Ona from one “owner” to another, Dunbar asserts, was a crucial moment in Ona’s journey—and the deciding factor in her choice to run away and pursue freedom in spite of all its attendant dangers. Martha’s attitudes were indeed a product of her social class, her upbringing, and the era in which she lived—yet Dunbar is careful to remind readers that Martha and George alike subscribed to harmful, racist ideas of paternalism and collectively refused to see the men and women they kept enslaved as capable (or even worthy) of independence, autonomy, and freedom. Martha’s anxious disposition, reluctant approach to her visible role in politics, and her refusal—even upon her death—to emancipate the slaves willed to her by her first husband cast her as a complex, antagonistic force in Ona’s life story.
Martha Washington Quotes in Never Caught
The Never Caught quotes below are all either spoken by Martha Washington or refer to Martha Washington. 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 2 Quotes
With George and Martha Washington hundreds of miles away, their lives were now in the hands of George Augustine and the overseers. Would the slaves at Mount Vernon be treated decently? Would the nature of their work change, and if so, how? The uncertainty of life and the involuntary separation of family members reminded every black person at Mount Vernon that the system of slavery rendered them powerless.
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The president and his wife were well aware that the practice of slavery was under attack in most of the Northern states. They also knew that though New York's residents still clung to bound labor, public sentiment regarding African slavery was changing. Unwilling to even think about abandoning the use of black slaves, the president and the first lady were careful in their selection of men and women who traveled with them from Mount Vernon. Their selections involved only those slaves who were seen as "loyal" and therefore less likely to attempt escape.
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Chapter 3 Quotes
Although private correspondence reveals Martha Washington's personal struggles with the new demands placed upon her; Ona Judge, an illiterate teenager, left behind no such trace. We can only imagine what Judge's transition to Northern life must have felt like; it had to have been terrifying or at the very least, unsteadying. Yet the young bondwoman handled the abrupt change like a seasoned slave. […] [Ona] was Martha's "go-to girl" for just about everything, and it was Judge's duty to know the desires of her mistress before Martha Washington knew them herself. A slave always had to be prepared, for anything.
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Coming from a family of talented seamstresses, Judge was responsible for Martha Washington's appearance. She selected her gowns, made small repairs on aging skirts, removing stains whether they be from food or the dirt from the unpaved streets, and then dressed her. What appeared to be the mundane task of wardrobe selection for the first lady was actually quite important. A wardrobe lay at the root of one's appearance, and the mistress and her slave girl fashioned an image for the new American aristocracy.
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Chapter 7 Quotes
In an effort to help Eliza ease into her new matrimony, Martha Washington stepped in, and offered Eliza the support she needed: she would bequeath Judge to Eliza Law as a wedding gift.
If Judge ever believed that her close and intimate responsibilities for her owner yielded preferential treatment, she now understood better. The bondwoman now knew for certain that in the eyes of her owner, she was replaceable, just like any of the hundreds of slaves who toiled for the Washingtons.
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Chapter 8 Quotes
But still, she was willing to face dog-sniffing kidnappers and bounty hunters for the rest of her life. Yes, her fear was consuming but so, too, was her anger. Judge could no longer stomach her enslavement, and it was the change in her ownership that pulled the trigger on Judge's fury. She had given everything to the Washingtons. For twelve years she had served her mistress faithfully, and now she was to be discarded like the scraps of material that she cut from Martha Washington's dresses. Any false illusions she had clung to had evaporated, and Judge knew that no matter how obedient or loyal she may have appeared to her owners, she would never be considered fully human.
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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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Chapter 12 Quotes
Righteous indignation and a belief in her right to be free prompted her final and fierce response to Bassett, telling him, "I am free now and choose to remain so."
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Chapter 13 Quotes
Archibald published this first interview on May 27, 1845, in the Granite Freeman, an abolitionist newspaper. The article appeared on the forty-ninth anniversary of her escape—almost to the day. With her children deceased, the elderly Ona Staines no longer hid from the spotlight. Now in her early seventies, the fear of being returned to the Parke Custis heirs had finally been vanquished.
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Epilogue Quotes
Only sixteen years old, Philadelphia was saddled with the responsibility of serving the new Mrs. Law. Perhaps Philadelphia had proven herself to be trustworthy and reliable and was therefore the natural replacement for her older sister. Or maybe, in a fit of anger, Mrs. Washington purposely selected Philadelphia to serve the new Mrs. Law, a duty that would require her to leave Mount Vernon and head for a new home in the Federal City. If vindictiveness was her motive, Martha Washington was successful. Philadelphia followed in her older sister's footsteps, leaving behind the world she knew at Mount Vernon.
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Martha Washington Character Timeline in Never Caught
The timeline below shows where the character Martha Washington appears in Never Caught. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 1
...Dunbar suggests that for the slaves who lived and worked on George and his wife Martha Washington’s Mount Vernon, Virginia estate, the snow must have appeared as a terrible omen.
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Eight days later, on June 19th, 1773, Martha Washington’s daughter from her first marriage, Martha “Patsy” Parke Custis, succumbs to what is most...
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Just days after Patsy’s death, one of Martha Washington’s “dower slaves,” owned by her first husband, delivers a baby girl. The mother of...
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Chapter 2
Ona Judge, now 16, is among the seven slaves who are to accompany George and Martha Washington to New York. Washington, in his diaries, describes the departure as full of “anxious...
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Martha Washington stays behind at Mount Vernon to settle affairs before joining her husband in New...
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Washington sends a nephew, Robert Lewis, to escort Martha and her slaves from Mount Vernon to New York. Lewis arrives at the estate to...
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...Judge and Moll, an older seamstress of about fifty. Together, Ona and Moll will serve Martha as housemaids and personal attendants. Ona is to be responsible for dressing, bathing, and readying...
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...Bolstered by the Quakers, many prominent Philadelphia statesmen actively oppose slavery and seek its end. Martha Washington, however, avoids contact with these prominent figures—including Benjamin Franklin—as she has no interest in...
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Chapter 3
On May 27th of 1789, three days after leaving Philadelphia, Martha Washington and her coterie arrive in New Jersey. Washington meets his wife and grandchildren—Eleanor Parke...
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A large part of Ona’s job in New York is taking responsibility for Martha Washington’s appearance—deciding what garments the first lady will wear, cleaning her shoes and fine dresses,...
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As Martha continues struggling to adjust to the new demands of life in New York, Ona struggles,...
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A month after Martha Washington arrives in New York, George Washington becomes ill with fever. Surgeons are forced to...
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Once Washington is recovered, the family moves to a larger home on Broadway. Martha is frequently left alone as George resumes travel from state to state. Soon, the president...
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Chapter 4
Martha Washington is once again anxious and on edge as she prepares for yet another move...
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...along with them, even though they have realized that Northern sentiments about slavery are shifting. Martha chooses to bring along Ona, and Washington assigns a slave named Hercules who possesses great...
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Chapter 5
...General (and former governor of Virginia) Edmond Randolph visits the President’s House to speak with Martha Washington and to inform her of a threat to the Washingtons’ ability to hold slaves...
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Martha Washington enlists the help of Tobias Lear in coming up with a system that will...
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Washington discreetly writes letters from Virginia to Martha in Philadelphia, encouraging her to hastily plan a trip home—and to bring with her the...
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On April 19th, Martha sends Ona’s brother, Austin, back to Mount Vernon with just over $11 for the trip....
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Chapter 6
One June evening, George and Martha Washington attend a performance at a theater in Philadelphia. They like the comedy so well...
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Chapter 7
...enslavers’ moods. The future is unpredictable and always entirely beyond their control. In February 1796, Martha Washington’s unpredictable nature deepens even further when she and the president receive news that Martha’s...
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As George and Martha have no children of their own, Martha’s grandchildren are their world—especially in the case of...
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Ona is further shocked when Martha Washington announces that she is planning on bequeathing Ona to Eliza as a wedding gift....
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Chapter 8
...return to Virginia, Ona is anxious and fearful—yet she knows she must remain attentive to Martha and focused on her work lest she draw attention to herself. Ona is aware of...
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...so poorly after so many years. One evening in mid-May of 1796, while George and Martha eat dinner, Ona takes advantage of her rare alone time and slips out of the...
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Chapter 12
...two years. He decides to resume his attempts to recapture his “runaway property.” He recruits Martha Washington’s nephew Burwell Bassett Jr., a Virginian senator, to take up the search again. Washington...
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...Ona opens the door to find Bassett standing before her—she recognizes him, knowing members of Martha and George’s family well after her years of enslavement. Ona knows she cannot run—her husband...
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...Virginia in October of 1799 and delivers the news of his failure to George and Martha Washington. He also relays information about Ona’s present circumstances—her child, the result of her marriage...
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Chapter 13
...remedies—as well as therapies such as enemas and emetics—but Washington is beyond help. Washington calls Martha to his side. She helps him to revise his will. He commands her to burn...
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...is a welcome surprise. For others, who have created familial bonds with slaves belonging to Martha Washington—who has not emancipated her slaves—it represents more uncertainty, violence, and rupture. Washington’s will stipulates...
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...his slaves instantly, however—he stipulates that they will be emancipated only upon the death of Martha Washington. This fact makes Martha uneasy and, in her own words, “unhappy”—she knows that her...
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...reaches Ona in New Hampshire. However, she knows that she is technically the property of Martha Washington, and that she cannot let her guard down yet. There may yet be attempts,...
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Epilogue
...missed and envied her. Whether Philadelphia was chosen to serve Eliza Custis Law due to Martha Washington’s “vindictiveness” or whether Philadelphia had otherwise proven herself suited to the job is unclear....
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...believed by many scholars to have been the son of Ann Dandridge—an interracial half-sister of Martha Washington’s. William’s father is believed to be the son of Martha Washington—making him both the...
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After Martha Washington’s death, Eliza Custis Law inherited 43 of her grandmother’s slaves, including Philadelphia. Eliza’s sisters...
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