What It Was Like To Be A Slave At George Washington's Mount Vernon

[@Auron12786]

As a kid my teachers downplayed the Founding Fathers’ slave ownership, basically saying “yeah they owned slaves, but so did every other wealthy white person at the time.” This channel’s blunt honestly is much appreciated

[@rawdata7569]

Oh suck it, ,many slaves were not treated badly, I am a decendant of slaves

[@jeremywj]

I think it is a hard reality we must not ignore. However, if I was to make a defense for slave owners like Washington, it would be that they were raised with the institution of slavery already in place. Sometimes it is harder to see the evil/bad in something when you are around it from the day you are born. I'm a white American who is 100% against slavery of any kind as well as 100% against racism. However, with everything else being equal, if I was born in Washington's era the sad reality is what I just said would probably not be a true reflection of myself.

[@peaceful_crafter]

I don’t even remember being told that the “founding fathers” even HAD slaves. It’s amazing how much history the education system keeps from us. I’ve learned so much more on my own than I ever remember learning in school. US history is so white-washed, it’s astounding! Thank goodness for historical/educational youtube channels like this one.

[@ryancarter2959]

I’m pretty sure I didn’t learn that Jefferson and Washington on slaves until well into high school F not US history in college. Prior to that I genuinely don’t remember learning a thing about any of the founding fathers owning slaves

[@urekmazino6800]

@@rawdata7569 many were tho what's your point?

[@pamelamays4186]

In my childhood history classes, this part of Washington's life was always left out.

[@rogerszmodis]

Why would they give you the bad stuff when they are trying to indoctrinate you with propaganda? Seems counterproductive.

[@vincentavangogh]

Gee, I wonder why?

[@itrthho]

Mt. Vernon will even give you a slave tour if you visit. Times change, in deciding what is important.

[@janinelew2483]

They sure did.

[@CujoHyer]

​@@rogerszmodis Indoctrinate them in to what?

[@Plug_Art]

You’re George fricking Washington and you can’t pay full price for some teeth??

[@cezz1105]

@@johnsparling7007 yeah that was real funny 🙄

[@NotOnDrugs]

@@johnsparling7007 LOL

[@johnsparling7007]

@I Love God Amen nag er

[@reef363]

I'm surprise he even paid for teeth.. I thought he just took some teeth from his slaves.

[@johnsparling7007]

@@reef363 ya my slave my teeth just pull them out

[@coolaidjuice]

i’ve watched weird history for years and i’ve offically decided i want this dude to narrate my life

[@curcuru11]

I feel this

[@Jessidafennecfox]

Him or Morgan Freeman

[@FelisThis]

Or Rob Zombie, he has an unbelievably brilliant narrative voice.

[@randomfacts6691]

I want him for my channel

[@amjd2569]

I would watch the "what is was like to be Reagan" video if they ever make one lol

[@HistoryOfRevolutions]

"Nations do not die from invasion; they die from internal rottenness" - Abraham Lincoln

[@trevormichael4906]

lol tell that one to history haha

[@abramjones9091]

Bullshit, if that was the case the u.s. would have been dead long ago. Nations' success depends on many internal, external, and historic factors

[@silasbishop3055]

Also Abe Lincoln - "What a wonderful" BANG!

[@brunoactis1104]

Every single contry in the history of humanity has a ton of rotenness on the inside.

[@D0NU75]

"i was also a vampire hunter in my spare time and had a secret agent named Screw-on Head" -Abraham Lincoln

[@devincheff]

In middle school we were taught that George Washington was a slave owner, but that he “treated them well” without any further explanation. We even went on a trip to D.C. and visited Mount Vernon, where we were allowed inside of the slave’s quarters. Finding out about all this left out info hit different 😓 gotta love public school education lmao

[@jazzkatt1919]

That first sentence is about the best example of a contradiction in terms I have ever read. Enslaving another human being pretty much negates any alleged "good treatment" of said human being.

[@cezz1105]

Esau lies about "his story " all the time!

[@RunninUpThatHillh]

Here's an example: American slavery, people complained they weren't "taught their history"..(why didn't they teach themselves??). Slaves (back then AND..now) in the middle east, where slaves are sold by Africans: their dicks are cut off. See the difference?

[@jamelbunny5732]

@@RunninUpThatHillh not really. Explain. (Not trying to sound mean or anything)

[@l.b.2592]

Old slavery apologist dude who spews misinformation: Europeans practice it on Europeans Forever and currently, sexual slavery is all the rage in Euroland. Humans universally suck but some suck more than others.

[@randomfacts6691]

Other Side: Benjamin Franklin attempted to abolish slavery already in 1790.

[@socialmoth4974]

Yes indeed! He was a great man and always trying to learn and grow until the day he died.

[@randomfacts6691]

@@socialmoth4974 yes

[@Rappenheim]

Probably why he's a hundred bucks

[@thelanktheist2626]

Another Other Side: a handful of continental army men were also for abolishing slavery by the 1770’s and 80’s.

[@HamzaAli-cj7ho]

wow

[@casualafgamer2704]

Someone else said it best--if John Adams, Abigail Adams, and their son John Quincy Adams could call out slavery for what it was (inhumane) then Washington wasn't a "product of the times". They all lived during the same period. Washington was like a lot of other selfish owners--did it for convenience and didn't want to treat them as human to set a precedent.

[@isaiahburns9926]

Exactly. For example, people all over the world are calling out for climate change reform, yet most of the billionaires don't seem to care and continue to wreak havoc on the planet. I wouldn't be surprised if in 150 years, everyone remembers Jeff Bezos and says things like "yeah, his business was responsible for immeasurable fossil fuel emissions, but everyone thought that was okay back then."

[@Shaka_Zulu]

I’m gonna be honest these aren’t my words but the words of someone else who’s trying to argue with me that it was okay for Washington to own slaves because I’m having a hard time talking sense into the person but perhaps you could assist. Here it is as follows. Washington was born into a time (1732) and place (Virginia) where slavery and indentured servitude were well established practises that were woven into the society and economy of that era. History is complex and it is wrong to judge different eras by the laws and standard of present times. I stand by this wholeheartedly. That is not the same as an endorsement of everything that has transpired before my time, just an acknowledgement that I have the advantage of hindsight on matters that were intrinsic parts of other peoples’ lives as they actively led them. Whether people like it or not the decision was solely Washington’s to make and he acted as he saw best. He had an obligation his families interests but also to the slaves themselves. The vast majority of slaves lacked any marketable skills other than their manual labor. They could not read or write or maintain personal finances. Some were older and could no longer work. Some were sick, injured or disabled. Some were women with young children. The myriad of social services and mechanisms that exist today weren't even abstract concepts in HIS time. There were occasions when due to circumstances he found himself with an excess of slaves. He was loath, however, to break up families so rather than sell them off for profit which was his prerogative, he put their welfare ahead of his gain. To cast people off without the requisite skills, abilities or resources to care for themselves is cruel not benevolent. This was the dilemma that Washington and the nation at large faced with slavery. Freeing them still would not bring about immediate improvement to people who had no experience living independently. He stipulated in his will that they should be freed upon his wife's death which would provide them time to learn skills needed to survive independently whilst providing for his wife's maintenance which he had a moral and legal obligation to undertake. George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and many other men throughout history had faults but are still revered for the sum total of their lives. We have been blessed many times over by the fruits of their ideas and actions which continue to enrich our lives to this day. Washington did make use of slave labor but took no pride in it. As he grew older he evolved faster than the societal norms of his time period and took steps toward advocating for the abolishment of slavery. In fact he was burdened with an excess of slaves as he transitioned from labor intensive tobacco to grain crops and also due to natural increase. However he felt a paternalistic obligation to them and was loath to break up families even though it cost him personally. Washington farmed commercially to support his family; freeing the slaves under his control prior to his death would have brought them to financial ruin. He was also under traditional as well as legal obligation to provide for his wife upon his death which is why he stipulated in his will that they be freed upon Martha's death. No one approves of slavery; to his credit neither did Washington. It was a well established social institution during his lifetime and it is unfair to judge him or others from then or various other times in history on the standards that have been established during the course of our lifetimes. It would also be egregiously unjust to overlook or diminish his other very noteworthy accomplishments because he happened to engage in that practice.

[@TJ_918]

@@Shaka_Zulu I appreciate you sharing your point of view. I think you made some valid points but I feel like some of your statements seem to feed into downplaying or justifying slavery into being okay…. and that narrative feeds further into the dissonance between white folks and people of color. Another thing stemming from your point that “he was a man of the time” has always confused me because why did some white, wealthy, powerful people of that era have the sense to see that slavery was inhumane and wrong while others ignored that fact, ya know?

[@sd-ch2cq]

It's kinda like eating meat today: it is socially accepted and legally allowed, but no-one can claim that they are unaware of plant-based diets. People like Washington were born into slave-holding and i think that gives him some leeway in terms of what he would have considered normal. But the idea of abolition was well-known at the time. And there is absolutely no excuse for behavior like 'even the other slave-holders thought he was cruel'

[@sd-ch2cq]

@@Shaka_Zulu His wife was wealthier than him. Explain why she would have needed his slaves, other than greed?

[@Ralphueyyy0510]

"We were founded on a very basic double standard: This country was FOUNDED by slave owners who wanted to be FREE" - George Carlin

[@copperfish543]

Why beat ourselves up over what happened over 160 years ago and beyond?

[@Riddickisawesome101]

@@copperfish543 do history doesn’t repeat itself. If you won’t acknowledge history, then you are doomed to repeat it

[@perc30]

@@copperfish543 bc the repercussions are still felt and racial tensions in the us are high

[@morbidcorpse5954]

@@perc30 I'm sure he lived in a well to do neighborhood where MLK Day is the extent of his black history education.

[@morbidcorpse5954]

This!

[@moosie913]

“He’s just a product of that time” … so did abolitionists just drop from the sky? They were raised that same way, yet saw how wrong it was.

[@arthas640]

Slavery was already abolished in many northern states and abolitionism was a huge thing in groups like the then very influential Quakers and Shakers. People act like slavery was popular until Lincoln suddenly realized it was a bad idea in the run up to his election

[@guerrillaradio1]

Abolitionists were a very small minority, even in the North.

[@Darkwolf1238]

You're absolutely right. I can't help but make the comparison of today's vegans as basically abolitionists, just for a different (some could argue lesser) cause. Today many people don't switch to default-vegan/optional-meat diet because they're too lazy, they're misinformed, or it benefits them not to switch. Same thing with slavery back then. They either didn't care and were too lazy, they were brought being told the slaves were happy or grateful or some bs, or it benefits them to have slaves.

[@GravesRWFiA]

the truly odd thing was southerners did not see black people as 'people' as if they were a subspecies and therefore not like white people. That sort of wilfull ignorance is unfathonable.

[@Gasparro18]

Can you explain your POV a little more? I'm interested in hearing what you have to say.

[@FoNgThOnG]

When a KZbin channel teaches you more about history than school did lol

[@fashiondiva6972]

When you see the same, inane comments on every. Single. Weird History video🙄 Way to be original

[@relicpathfinder2800]

School has a very small window to cram as much as they can into narrow preoccupied minds. Nothing stops people from learning more by reading and research at libraries. KZbin is just convenient. Even then, never take the content for granted, there are so many trying to rewrite history...just as wrong as not teaching all of history.

[@jamelbunny5732]

@@fashiondiva6972 gonna cry about it?

[@malibug9889]

Who cares about a comment being original when it’s the truth?

[@borisjohnsonslostcomb7457]

I think what you mean is that a free KZbin channel is teaching us what they should have taught us in school. I think we'd treat each other better between races if we were, in a way they keep the division by keeping silent

[@016329]

Wow, I usually try to stick to the “judge people by the standards of morality of the time they lived in” mantra but it’s hard not to think Washington was a massive jerk. It sounds like he was particularly cruel to his slaves, even for the (very bad) standards of the time. The fact there is documentation written by his own hand ordering cruelty to be inflicted on them is even more damning.

[@zeeqayum4834]

That logic makes no sense. I don’t care if everyone on earth thinks blacks are sub human and should be enslaved, that is wrong no matter what. I don’t give a shit if that goes against the “standards” of the time. Evil is evil and every human being has the ability to distinguish from that evil.

[@MsDudette21]

they know it was wrong. imagine if someone had threatened him to be a slave im sure he'd feel differently about it real quick. fuck washington and all the founding fathers who condoned that shit

[@anayabrown9473]

looking through barbarism through the lense which it’s normalized i n doesn’t make it not barbarism

[@lilith4961]

Thats what I was thinking. Although he could be held to a higher standard considering that he was supposed to be revolutionary thinker.

[@Averagegunenthusiast]

@@lilith4961Thomas Jefferson also owned slaves but there is evidence that he knew it was wrong even in his time. I wonder how many other people at that time really believed in their heart that it was right, they may have said that outwardly to make themselves look good. They owned slaves because they benefited, I can’t see how anyone can justify the practice as just, maybe Im wrong but I feel a lot of details get lost in history, the founders were not gods but human beings, and human beings tend to make decisions for their own interests more than in the interests of morality.

[@johngurnhill8743]

One of the best KZbin channels in history

[@rorysmakingamovie]

*on history

[@itrthho]

Thanks, in part, to the deeds of Washington, this history channel has the ability to post this video.

[@jamelbunny5732]

@@rorysmakingamovie *In history

[@CaugustusWhite]

And he didn’t “free his slaves.” He sold them and rented them back. He had a few that got their freedom after Martha died.

[@plawson8577]

The only Slaves he cared about, were his Baby Mama heifers that had been his Caretakers and did indoor only work. These ladies had his children and were groomed by him. Their Children we’re definitely freed.

[@CaugustusWhite]

I’m just waiting for that woke leftist parasite movement called “cancel culture” to come out wanting to rename everything that’s named after him.

[@TheChowster]

Proof?

[@lindsayblair5181]

@@TheChowster you can look it up yourself. Research it

[@TheChowster]

@@lindsayblair5181 I won't becuase I know its not true

[@jesmarkmikesell1957]

Ah, a subjectively unbiased insight on Washington's slave owning; no degrading or condescending commentary, just history. I appreciate this video!

[@PettyCrow-n9c]

Did you watch the same video? The video was very condescending and clearly had bias. In reality, the way Washington treated his slaves was tame compared to the others. What he doesn't tell you in the video is that, that guy who wrote about the slave conditions was an abolitionist of sorts, so he had a good reason to make things seem as bad as possible.

[@QueenetBowie]

A man of contradictions, I get that his ideas on slavery “evolved” over time but it’s amazing still that he could treat them with such contempt for much of his life but then make the decisions to free to them upon his death. Also fun note for those unaware (since she was mentioned briefly) Abigail Adams (wife of John Adams) was a revolutionary era abolitionist who spoke against against the evils of slavery at the time.

[@arthas640]

Well yeah, he didnt like the idea of slavery but he loved the idea of power and money so once he no longer needed the money and power he decided to have his cake and eat it too by freeing them so he could get that nice ego boost just before his death

[@lauramuse910]

Abigail Adams was a boss

[@redline1916]

@@arthas640 I don't believe that was entirely for an ego. George Washington, for his time, was quite intelligent and knew guilt of greed.

[@covid8490]

Or maybe saw the error of his ways, no one is perfect but we can always do better

[@CaugustusWhite]

Any different than people treat cattle today? In 100 years will you see the cowboy as evil because he herded, whipped and branded cows? They were seen as little more than cattle for the time.

[@loganfatalwarnz6464]

Any chance you can highlight the Indian schools and residential schools of the US & Canada? With the recent discoveries of mass graves, filled with the bodies of children, I feel it is something that more channels should highlight - it is both historic & horrific.

[@rogerszmodis]

That should probably wait a year. They aren’t done finding.

[@MrSh4des]

It's just anti white propoganda to justify the ethnic cleansing of canadians and replacing them with asians/east indians.

[@itrthho]

And Aboriginal schools in Australia

[@Friday_Night_Frights]

@@MrSh4des You don't honestly believe that, do you?

[@noonecares200]

@@MrSh4des what does this have to do with natives

[@guven-011]

Human cruelty never ceases to depress me. Slavery continues to this day. It has just taken on a different form. The suffering has ended, of course. Our times can never be compared to what these people in history endured. However, the greed of the rich and the exploitation of the working class continue all the same.

[@malcolmboy21]

That form is both capitalism out of control and the industrial prison complex.

[@jasonthomas6684]

Yep...companies utilize cheap labor overseas where people are paid low wages in substandard conditions to make more profit. Not exactly slavery but still the same greedy concept remains. I as an American feels shameful for this.

[@yuy290]

And how do you know they suffered. Were you there to witness this suffering

[@smnewstead4093]

wtf, the "suffering has ended"?? There are more slaves now than at any other time in human history.

[@CrustynMusky]

“All men are created equal” What a joke.

[@jrmckim]

All rich white men are created equal.. All white men are created equal.. All men are created equal..

[@silasbishop3055]

It isn't a joke so much as a lie. We are not equal. Individuals can never be equal.

[@qwqwe3037]

@@silasbishop3055 people need to come to realize this. Regardless of skin color their is no such thing as being created equal. The more people whom strives for it the more power they willingly give to the government untill they become slaves in everything but name.

[@qwqwe3037]

@Rich Perez both completely unachievable due to human nature.

[@MsDisneylandlover]

Speak

[@MoltenPlastic]

Imagine escaping to the English while the Americans fight for "freedom".

[@jiggaleepuff]

Ugh this comment sums it up so well. Why is it so hard for people to understand this massive logic gap in American history and culture? After independence it took like 87 more years for slavery to be abolished. “Land of the free… *ahem* except for all the slaves…”

[@MoltenPlastic]

@@jiggaleepuff Not only, it was initially land of the free for property owners only. Of course, if you were a slave you had no rights whatsoever, but if you were a woman or poor, well you're hardly a "real american" either.

[@jiggaleepuff]

@@MoltenPlastic 100%. Unfortunately these facts are either quickly glossed over or completely omitted from school curricula. A few extraordinary teachers who are passionate about history will engage their students, tell them the truth and encourage them to ask questions. But they are sadly unicorns, and the rest of the student population will be intentionally and permanently misguided.

[@chuckrobinson599]

It was England who forced the institution of slavery on the colonies. Read the actual history of Squanto.

[@jiggaleepuff]

​@@chuckrobinson599 Portugal, UK, France, Spain, Netherlands and Denmark all participated heavily in the slave trade and enslavement in the colonies. But Murica fought the absolute hardest to keep it, and had the most brutal policies, including family separation, forced breeding (this is Thomas Jefferson's legacy - he "spoke out against international slave trade" because his home state Virginia and several other southern states wanted to breed and sell slaves instead, which was more profitable), brutal punishments, and the least legal rights and protections for those of African descent. I don't know why you felt the need to point out that 'England started it', although that's not really true anyway. Portugal began the trans atlantic slave trade to their colonies. In any case, none of this changes the fact that America was built on a joke - 'Freedom... for literally the least number of people we can get away with'. We see the same hypocrisy in France as well, who right after the French Revolution advocating for basic human rights for man and citizen, attempted to reinstate slavery on the citizens of Haiti who had just fought for their own freedom, and demanded 150 million francs as 'reparations' for the loss of their slave labour, which Haiti only finished repaying in 1947. So I don't care who started it. Why does it matter to you?

[@ItsAVolcano]

I remember visiting Mount Vernon years ago as a little kid. At the time the only acknowledgement of slaves on the estate was the restored communal house that held the house slaves, which was naturally far better than what the field slaves had and created a kinda false narrative as to the lives of the average slave working for Washington.

[@lindakato8583]

Wonderful coverage! I visited before the pandemic lockdown Mt. Vernon after they made a major effort to present this history to the public. A whole section of their public museum section dedicated to the sordid subject and a recreation of housing of the enslaved persons and tours on the subject. Starkly showed how miserable their lives were! I was struck by a recreation of the daily share of cornmeal that each enslaved family got. Hardly enough to make porridge for one person. The families had to find their own food to supplement this, including gardening or hunting in their "after work hours"! No wonder they were so exhausted, got ill, and died young!

[@margaretwordnerd5210]

[@margaretwordnerd5210]

@Shelby Spider Most of those I know personally are (I think) not playing games but choosing to believe the lies of those who do play mental games. It breaks my heart because they could be better thinkers if they learned about logic and history.

[@brittanyhayes1043]

I visited Mount Vernon once and I'll do it again. My family and I went on the normal tour but were aware that Mount Vernon was a plantation. George Washington and his wife should of made the move to free their slaves to make a better impact.

[@laurie1536]

@@margaretwordnerd5210 What minds? ;-)

[@margaretwordnerd5210]

@@laurie1536 "what minds?" People with a high IQ who lack historical context or don't understand logical fallacies have minds, but lack bullsh*t detectors. Easily beguiled by propaganda is a different brain problem than a low IQ. Somehow more sad, because the high IQ person *could* learn wisdom and chooses not to. They say bizarre things like, "My opinions are as valid as your facts."

[@myriana5475]

It makes me sick to know that my first grade teacher really sat there and told heroic stories about him and made us color pictures of him while knowing this man enslaved people like me.

[@lookoutforchris]

Grow up, every culture and every human being is soaked in blood. Should the Italians topple statues of Julius Caesar? Be thankful you're not Native American, those dudes really got wiped out.

[@AlexanderJordan19]

@@lookoutforchris dude wtf? Your disgusting.As a black person with native American on both sides of my family your comment baffles me.Why Are you comparing what African Americans and native Americans went through it doesn't matter if your native American or African American, America has put both people through hell.

[@lookoutforchris]

@@AlexanderJordan19 >you're You're the product of two conquered peoples and you would not even exist without European colonialism... and you're wondering why someone would compare or mention blacks and Indians in the same sentence 😂😂😂 You are lucky your peoples even still exist. You clearly know nothing of history on this planet. You want your conquers to feel shame at conquering and out competing your ancestors, both of whom were Stone Age civilizations when the first contact with outside civilizations were made? Good luck 👍🏻 And there were no "Americans" when this all happened. Don't forget you were traded as slaves by your peoples to the Arabs for 1,200 years before any European brought you over the ocean. Europeans were the last to get into the sub-Saharan slave trade and the first people to put an end to it. Funny how you rage at America but seem to forget where America came from 🤣

[@b-zar8912]

@@lookoutforchris >people, not "peoples" >conquerors, not "conquers"

[@wintur2856]

So many racist in this comment section. I'm so glad that yall saying this with yall fingers because I promise you wouldn't say it in public.

[@reneehomen2226]

It still and forever will blow my mind how people thought that slavery of another human being was ok and perfectly acceptable. Disgusting!

[@jasondashney]

I feel that people should be judged by the standards of their time but it still blows me away that people anywhere ever were okay with slavery. I get that a small % of people are psychopaths, but for it to be that wide spread is crazy. Thankfully it's (mostly) gone in western nations today.

[@liberalbias4462]

Is was around since ancient times.

[@davehoward22]

amazing how people thought taking your family to watch someone being burnt alive or hung,drawn and quartered was a fun day out

[@spam1028]

*white people

[@YC305]

Yes but something very important to remember is that slavery was not only a whites to blacks thing, in Africa there were slaves, far longer than in America, Africans would hunt other Africans and sell to Arabs that would then sell to Europeans. Arabs had white slaves too. Slavery has been seen all over the world with all types of people, and just like in America white rich people had slaves it was also whites who fought for their freedom. Just saying because these days they want to portray white people like the pure evil and every other race like angels and victims.

[@patelhemanshu1942]

PLEASE Make a video about Transylvanian history and culture and Bram Stoker's novel Dracula.

[@VALERIAN19899]

Weird history already has a video on Vlad the impaler........

[@VALERIAN19899]

@Bear Greendale yeah this world is doomed! Imagine in 20 years these crazy weird kids are going to be our community leaders. Lawyers, judges, lawmakers...... imagine what that's going to be like

[@Snake-vr2ky]

@Bear Greendale lol, literally my first thought. No manners these days..

[@bakesnake3518]

No

[@tracysemonik7040]

Ooh ooh! I came here to ask about the food that Vlad the Impaler may have served his guests before he killed them! I want what traditional Walachian meals would have been served. And then French Revolution diets, peasants to Marie Antoinette's own birthday party. And then like Austrian aristocrats while they listened to Amadeus perform. Then Vaudeville. What was Vaudeville history and stardom and slang like? I've got lots of questions, but yes, do Transylvania/Romania.

[@russellconn]

This channel never disappoints

[@itazuranakisu]

The level of downplaying some people in the comments are doing really is so telling and really shows not much has changed when it comes to certain people's mindset about black people and slavery. Enslaving isn't a mistake. Treating someone less than human is an awful thing that many people understood even on a small scale through most of our history, including then, so this whole "well Tommy owns slaves and Jimmy down the street so it can't be that bad" is BS reason to throw yourself on the tracks for Washington. So much dehumanizing then and now occurred from white men and women (despite some historical and entertainment depiction white women were just as active with buying, getting/distributing through inheritance, "gifting" and abusing slaves as men).

[@jasondashney]

And who sold them the slaves? Just sayin.

[@vikafrench2429]

We are all slaves to social norms. They were then and we are now. Things that seem especially unspeakable and morally wrong now were the social norms back then.

[@valeriesmith3232]

Well said

[@wgh14775]

This is a pretty ignorant take, tbh. Pretty much every country and culture on the planet, white or otherwise, has engaged in the practice of owning slaves throughout the entirety of recorded human history. Nobody really started making a hard push for abolishing said practice until the early to mid 1800's. Hell, the Ottoman empire was buying and selling white slaves off the Barbary coast decades after slavery was abolished in the U.S. The notion that slave ownership was invented by or exclusive to white people displays an acute and willful ignorance of world history. The fundamental truth at play here is that human beings have historically had a tendency to do awful things to each other, and still do. Improvements have been made, but that's an aspect of the human condition that will likely always exist in some form.

[@MsDudette21]

@@jasondashney africans AND europeans. if the europeans didnt set foot there, i dont think we'd have generations of black people suffering in america. its not like they were ever planning on bringing them over to embrace diversity

[@sipp4238]

Keep them coming. I love my Black History

[@itrthho]

Would also be great if they would also due videos of all the accomplishments of black scientists and explores.

[@NP-iy1zu]

@@itrthho would be a rather short video. Let's be honest. Oh and it's spelled "explorers", not "explores".

[@Txukasa1]

@@NP-iy1zu You're garbage mate. I have a strong feeling many people irl don't like you.

[@suhocidal]

@@NP-iy1zu sounds about white

[@sebastianc5155]

stop applying color to where it doesnt belong if you want the world to improve

[@Halo17]

I grew up in Alexandria Va, and visited Mt Vernon a couple of times. I don't remember a lot of info regarding this topic, but after seeing this, my opinion of George Washington has certainly changed.

[@arthas640]

It always bothers me how the hero worship and propaganda of the time made people cover up all Washingtons many failings and its continued on to today. People worship Washington who was callus to his soldiers and even worse to his slaves but they hate Trump for his comparatively mild racism. Its laughably backwards

[@btrip331]

I remember visiting and the tour guide tried to gloss over it as if it was just “some little thing”. Never liked Washington and never will.

[@merryrose6788]

If we look at him through many lenses, then we get an idea of the man. His speeches are incredible, especially his farewell address. The US is a free country, and if Americans do their job of realizing the president is a public servant, not a leader, then we are doing our jobs. But it is time that we faced his part in slavery, in not treating everyone well. This is history, we can't change that, but we must know it.

[@teddyjam8134]

I visited Mt. Vernon on a field trip when I was in elementary school, and worked there too. The have plaques on the houses letting you know that the land was once owned by George Washington.

[@grandmastercadillac9052]

@@btrip331If you’re American you should

[@Davidpostingshid]

It’s funny how they never mention this part in school.

[@johnjacobo]

But George did free them before he died , he was a good hearted man

[@saulgoodman1504]

Yes they do. I have absolutely no clue what planet you're living on if you think they don't.

[@joedimaggio3687]

They never mentioned in school that Africans sold other Africans into slavery.

[@johnjacobo]

@@joedimaggio3687 is that a myth?

[@joedimaggio3687]

@@johnjacobo yes it is.

[@taharqa332]

I've been to Mt. Vernon. I was stationed in DC from 91-94; took in all the sites etc., first thing - Mt. Vernon is a beautiful piece of property. The view of the river is AMAZING. As a black man; the thing that struck me was seeing the graves of the slaves buried there. No names; just graves marked with the "X"...it was chilling for me. Said a lot about how the legacies of black families are null and void. Many of us can't trace our lineage beyond a few generations for this very reason.

[@Hahahanoyes]

Blame the slavers in Africa who sold slaves for mirrors and sugar. There were tribes in Africa where they would literally sacrifice hundreds of slaves in a matter of days for their king.

[@merryrose6788]

@taharqa332, Really important post you wrote. Yes, the graves are chilling, and so are the places where the slaves were living. It was people from Europe especially who saw the horror and tried to get people like Washington to see that slavery couldn't exist in a country founded on freedom. Thanks for your post.

[@blancavargas2062]

Sickening to think that one could own another human 😔

[@Hebrew_Israelite_Young_jedi]

That’s cause you white

[@ericmed]

They built Dubai on Indian slave labor

[@blancavargas2062]

@John Elway that’s true I saw a documentary some time ago about people buying housekeepers on an app😞

[@blancavargas2062]

@@Hebrew_Israelite_Young_jedi True, us who aren’t of white descent still think it’s unimaginable

[@blancavargas2062]

@@ericmed sickening 😔

[@dirkdiggler2430]

A slave is a slave, no matter how good a slave has it she/he's still a slave. Freedom is everything and we take it for granted when we have it.

[@marimccoyy]

I still cannot believe slavery actually happened and is still in one way still happening, it’s baffling how humans can treat other humans like second class citizens.

[@nealkelly9757]

Snowflake

[@shaungray8863]

Still happening all over the world.

[@stubdteauzgautugaux]

It still happens now within the US. Quit your bleeding heart bullshit.

[@VinDe1216]

Still happens in corporate world..!

[@marimccoyy]

@@stubdteauzgautugaux ok.

[@theonlyafropuff]

Great vid! Takes a lot of courage talking about this.

[@luvmibratt]

Unfortunately it's history,and needs to be talked about so it's not repeated.

[@flankingfoxtrot]

Courage ?

[@MitchellDee17]

courage to talk about history? wow.

[@theonlyafropuff]

@@MitchellDee17 ikr?

[@youareawesome5236]

History?

[@ohitkat]

I was raised in VA, so my school visited Mount Vernon on at least 2 occasions. The entire time we were there BOTH TIMES, they didn’t talk about slaves except briefly in the context of the fields. My father actually worked at the Mount Vernon restaurant for years.

[@jasondashney]

That's fucked up. Let's see all of history, the good and the bad.

[@Craig_Andrus]

Patiently waiting alongside many others I am sure, for you guys to release more from your "Timeline" series.

[@WeirdHistory]

Coming next Sunday!

[@rogerszmodis]

@@WeirdHistory after the 90s the 70s should be next. 2000’s are too recent.

[@JulietteKernDiamond]

Just read a book about the Osage tribe and how they became millionaires only to be taken advantage of and at times murdered. Fascinating piece of history most don't know about would make good video.

[@kianabrown2865]

What is the book called? I’d like to check it out.

[@JulietteKernDiamond]

@@kianabrown2865 killers of the flower moon its being made into a movie too i think!

[@kianabrown2865]

@@JulietteKernDiamond Thank you!

[@georgiafrye2524]

Excellent book and the FBI involvement is interesting with Hoover and colleagues.

[@JulietteKernDiamond]

@@georgiafrye2524 yesss!!! Amazing stuff!!

[@tracieb9339]

I'm just glad you guys can give honesty to history without being sensored.

[@elijahbadgett5994]

Here is a video idea for you: a video on billy lee, George Washington’s main slave while he was in the army, and any of the other founding fathers famous slaves

[@plawson8577]

What about his only known Lovechild West Ford, Son of Washington’s favorite Caretaker and Lover, Venus Ford? Washington seduced Ford(Who originally belonged to Martha)when she was 17 and sired a Son with her around 1785.

[@elijahbadgett5994]

@@plawson8577 sounds interesting!

[@plawson8577]

@@elijahbadgett5994 Yup. Washington fathered children through his Slave Maids and Caretakers. They originally belonged to Martha, so naturally, it pissed her off something awful. Especially when she would learn that they were Pregnant. She Immediately knew they all would have one father: Massa George.

[@botticellichick6393]

I love this channel and I always learn something new. It's so important to tell these stories about slavery and how very cruel life was for them. I believe we need to know about our triumphs and our shame.

[@TreyMessiah95]

How did you not knew george washington had slaves? Either you didnt knew or you choose not to knew because you wore willfully ignorant.

[@kayceecee-]

So for those that didn’t know Ona Judge was the one slave that successfully left and evaded recapture by George Washington. She was inherited by Martha, so she “technically” didn’t belong to George but Martha. She was to be given to one of Martha’s granddaughter, so she escaped. George Washington would go as far as posting in a variety of newspapers to get her back. He wanted her back so bad, he wrote the Fugitive Slave Act in order to have her picked up in New Hampshire where she started a new life. She has a book called Ona Judge, and although it does have dramatization, it’s factual. It was one of my favorite reads in my Slave History course in college.

[@moodyrick8503]

The Iroquois called him "The Village Burner". But his list of *war crimes against the natives* gets overlooked every time.

[@MrSh4des]

The iroquois genocided the hurons.

[@itrthho]

The Sioux, through war and intimidation, forced the Cheyenne out of their sacred Black Hills.

[@The7Reaper]

Because who gives a fuck, every rock you threw in the 18th century is gonna hit an asshole

[@moodyrick8503]

@@itrthho Yes indeed natives fought against each other. That's one of the reasons why they were not able to band together against the mass influx of European immigration.

[@moodyrick8503]

@@itrthho And yes, whites kill whites & Christians kill Christians, and none of that excuses the actions of George Washington.

[@chikafitipaldis]

This is so sad 💔 The pain and suffering that our ancestors had to go through. I hope one day we can heal 🙏🏾.

[@empyerful]

You are healed, Make America Great Again haha

[@thatguydillan6360]

One day hopefully, breaks my heart to think about what they went through

[@OmarKhanSavedMe]

@@empyerful weirdo

[@Yustax]

Imao. You didn't have a single slave ancestor. Get real

[@geraldbush8172]

It didn’t happen to you you have nothing to heal from. Even if you did, if you haven’t healed in all this time you never will.

[@domonicredmond1894]

Narrator: has your opinion of Washington changed? Me: YES!

[@iwrk]

200 years from now, people will be appalled by how employees and workers are treated today. Standards change over time.

[@maxthecharacter1296]

Very true, as well as other things a lot of people think are okay but are not.

[@chuckrobinson599]

In two hundred years, people will be amazed at the freedom people enjoyed, at least the ones who aren't slaves.

[@johnyeary6695]

@@chuckrobinson599 damn. Deep!

[@zacharypeacock6278]

The key word here is workers...

[@TheAto2000]

But as they said in the video, even Washington's fellow slave owners found him.too harsh.

[@kirbymarchbarcena]

George probably became compassionate to his slaves only after realizing that his end was near

[@peoplebeforeprofit]

Without a doubt

[@monkmonk6068]

@kirby march I agree!

[@CujoHyer]

Maybe you're right. But its also amusing watching people come up with the most negative theory they can dream up. Says a lot about the person making the random claim.

[@freakinandpeakin]

Not true. He got a throat infection one winter while out supervising his farm on horseback. He died 2 days later.

[@itrthho]

He wasn’t planning on dieing when he wrote his will in 1799. He was in rather good health.

[@jocelynllamas6600]

I'm glad you included the story of Joe! His story re him night walking to visit his family in the outer plantation is fascinating. I was born and raised in Virginia (Fairfax Co.) and visited Mount Vernon frequently. If you're in Northern Virginia or DC and haven't been to Mount Vernon, definitely make time to visit! Oh, also, it must depend on where you went to school growing up because we definitely learned about Washington and his slaves in elementary school. I asked my friend who gre up in Florida and he said he didn't learn about this in school growing up. He learned about St. Augustin being the first settlement in the U.S., but I swear I never learned of St. Augustin in school. 😅

[@garymarcera7452]

Thanks for another great video 😊 Has my opinion of Washington changed? You bet! I'm disgusted with the man who could not tell a lie 🤥

[@itrthho]

Washington sounds like many, but not all, from the 1700’s

[@DizzyMamba]

Yes just ignore that he birthed the most free and powerful country of all time. Focus on the mistakes he made (that virtually everybody else in the time frame did as well)

[@plawson8577]

Of course he told lies. He lied to Martha over and over again about his sexual relations with her Slavemaids.

[@jazminelee5166]

@Luke ? The Soviets and Brits withdrew from Afghanistan too. Let me guess, you think they weak powers as well?

[@kbrock9146]

I'd love to see you do a video on the Bell Witch and the time Andrew Jackson traveled to see her.

[@Cody-gu8li]

Yes! I remember my teacher in the 7th grade reading us stories about her and Andrew Jackson

[@papaburgundy71]

Still the greatest leader in American history.

[@wcb5440]

Na Abraham Lincoln was, and he didn’t own any slaves. This comment shows your ignorance and true colors. Peewee brain

[@PATRIOT-nt5ub]

Hands down papa. America is such a "racist country" that people from all over the world break into her 24/7.

[@papaburgundy71]

@@wcb5440 you seem well adjusted, defenitely the sort who's opinion should be taken seriously...

[@papaburgundy71]

@@PATRIOT-nt5ub funny how that works huh lol

[@bradley163]

Wow...Washington was a real jerk.

[@michaelkelly7968]

Wow...you actually formed an opinion solely based on a KZbin video.

[@itrthho]

King George III, now, that’s a jerk.

[@bradley163]

@@michaelkelly7968 calm down there, champ. I was joking around.

[@maplesyrup6052]

@@michaelkelly7968 I mean…it’s widely known that Washington was like this, we aren’t getting info just from this video

[@plawson8577]

And a Sexual Predator.

[@NewMessage]

I dunno, but there had to be a grueling cherry tree eradication patrol schedule.

[@yaneizaperez3740]

I've been binge watching. I subscribe. I'm learning more about history than i did in my history class. I use to find it so boring and now I'm fascinated with it. He explains it to damn good.

[@bala9257]

Discrimination of any kind is deplorable. It's dis heartening to know that most advanced country in the world had generations of slaves.

[@ladymirth]

How tf are you the most advanced country in the world? You have the biggest army and economy via having the world's largest foreign debt. That's it

[@LawrenceRoss1906]

This isn't discrimination. It's slavery.

[@spam1028]

yea most advanced country that became this rich by enslaving and exploiting third world nations to thier bones

[@drusilla_darke]

I would like to hear about *Jefferson's illegitimate children* please. 🇨🇦

[@FeelinErie]

This is a must-watch: The descendants of Jefferson on an old Oprah episode kzbin.info/www/bejne/baamp5SKi5J_Zrc

[@silasbishop3055]

We don't speak of indecent things.

[@deewesthill1358]

@@silasbishop3055 Who's "we"?

[@harbingerd.8457]

Jefferson be hitting ebony cheeks

[@Autoctonal]

His slave was his late wife’s half sister too… damm!!

[@manesmarcellon6059]

This need to be taught in all US History classes in America.

[@m3xicano4ever]

Do history of the milkman

[@JimmySpann]

YESSH

[@doublezero2001]

The colonies are always excused from having slaves, and the Confederacy is always blamed. People need to watched this so they know the colonies are no less guilty than the south.

[@copperfish543]

That's true, I was watching the Netflix movie about Lynrd Skinyard, the other day. Ronnie Van Zant and his friends went to Robert E. Lee High School, in their concerts they had a huge Confederate Flag. Meanwhile I'm growing up in California, and the Confederate Flag meant to us rebellion, rebel against the high school principal, or the President of the United States or the war in Vietnam. it didn't mean racism like people think today.

[@Dennis-nc3vw]

Then why did almost all the Founding Fathers, even slave holding ones, speak out against slavery?

[@pacmanquem9580]

He didn’t buy those teeth let’s get real he took them by force

[@lucystephen1523]

Fr😢

[@cezz1105]

Of course!

[@gail-sw9xg]

Wow! This is far different than what we were taught in elementary school!

[@demetriusdeabreu7474]

he had his faults but what he did for america was great and without him we would probably still be under british rule so with him it was the lesser of two evils. Option A would be washington who was a slave owner but at the end of his life he figured that having slaves was bad or option B which would be still be slaves but you have to serve a king and the different levels of aritocrasy and it would be impossible for you to raise social status since the only way was to marry into aritocrasy and no family at the time would allow someone without noble blood to marry into their family.

[@rose_blue1]

​@@demetriusdeabreu7474 agree

[@smnewstead4093]

@@demetriusdeabreu7474 US is a shit country, tho.

[@rfreeze]

He “evolved” and set the slaves free *after* his fortune was cemented. Not exactly a munificent act.

[@jimbeam4111]

Leave the country

[@rfreeze]

@@jimbeam4111 Uh oh, somebody’s feelings are hurt! “This is MY country…Murica’. If you don’t like it you can leave”! 😂

[@48hourrecordsteam45]

And free them without a quarter acre of land for each family. Nothing ensuring his family bloodline wealth.

[@americangirl6654]

I respect that George Washington fought for American independence, and I believe that his views (although incredibly primitive and backward by today’s standards) was relatively progressive at the time. I understand that when you grow up surrounded by something, you just accept it as normal, but I’ll never quite understand the lack of empathy that people from this time had toward slaves. Perhaps it is easier to be empathetic living in the comfort of modern times given that most of us haven’t spent our lives immediately surrounded by death, starvation, enslavement, and bloodshed that people from this time experienced on a daily basis from a young age. Perhaps being over exposed to such things hardens people to such an extent that they mentally block out any feelings of empathy for anyone. I don’t fault him for being a product of his time, I just think that it’s disappointing and sad that we were ever at a point where such blatant evil was occurring all around us and so few people even noticed that it was wrong. It makes me wonder what evil things we as a society are overlooking because we simply accept it as “normal.”

[@zeeqayum4834]

It ‘hardens’ them that they have to watch themselves treat their slaves like garbage? That’s really weird logic. Stop making pathetic excuses and call out Washington for the degenerate that he is. He will burn in Hell and there is no doubt about it. Evil is evil so dont give me that ‘ standards for the time’ bs.

[@americangirl6654]

@@zeeqayum4834 No, he was hardened because he was constantly surrounded by death and cruelty and that in turn hardened him and made him cruel. Not saying at all that what he did wasn’t evil because it totally was. I’m just saying that he’s likely the product of his environment.

[@zeeqayum4834]

@Nogent there is a difference between slavery and the race based slavery of the United States. Two very different things. Slavery is not necessarily evil since its been around for centuries and no religion or philosophical figure explicitly condemned it so I actually agree with you. The slavery of black people who were thought of as inferior was the slavery I have a problem with. I hope you can see what im saying.

[@Dana-ie2bh]

@@zeeqayum4834 Yeah, the bible gives detailed instructions on how you are supposed to treat your slaves.

[@leonevelake]

@ zee qayum Wait so your saying you only see race based slavery as evil? Good Lord that's convenient. To bad for people like the Helots who were not just slaves bit murdered as a right of passage... And how exactly does this work to you? Was it not evil then when freed slaves in America then owned slaves? Since the racial disparity no longer existed?

[@jessiewhitman8688]

My heart breaks for all that was enslaved. It was cruel and inhumane. But on a side note, I wonder how many famous people they saw? What they over heard?!

[@jasondashney]

Good question. I wonder if the lack of literacy meant nobody cared if they overheard anything. Jim Rogers is a famous investor who goes around the world and talks to prostitutes, especially in poorer countries, because they "know" the big shots who come to town and they have the inside scoop on what's really going on.

[@cambs0181]

Their lives were picking cotton in fields all day. I doubt many famous people were out there and even so, I doubt they would have had much interest in the conversations.

[@KimFsharpHarp]

I love the stories of escape and taking the owner’s supplies.

[@rupvictoria3017]

i’ve been to General Washington’s plantation down in Mount Vernon Virginia and his plantation is so huge

[@tylerspunucious7420]

So, we are all indebted to this man to have a country where we can say whatever we want, have guns, a free press and the like. A guy who faced the most terrifying army on earth at the time and risked it all, just to not have to kneel to a crown. That said, they say never meet your heroes for a reason, and clearly there's some dark shit that doesn't get taught about the negative aspects of these gentlemen, and it's good to learn it to keep perspective.

[@jasondashney]

Very well put.

[@planescaped]

"Never meet your heroes" indeed, as we're all just people and no one is perfect. Washington for all the good he did was weak enough to take full advantage of the slavery-plantation system to make his fortune.

[@darkangelprincess101]

Something we never learned about, the founding fathers owning slaves. They tried to act like they were saints. We knew there were slaves at this time, I don't know why it was never covered

[@prestonsmith4836]

Hi there.. how are you doing? Hope you’re fine and staying safe.???

[@cambs0181]

They didn't act like saints. The nation turned them into saints, using the schools to pump out endless propaganda.

[@jameshartman3630]

People dont understand that this kind of information is what CRT would be about if it was allowed anywhere lol

[@Mels925]

Yes my opinion of Washington has changed. Now I think of him as cruel and miserly.

[@michaelkelly7968]

Goes to show your intelligence, forming a negative viewpoint of a person all on the back of a KZbin video.

[@Howe·Sauce]

Do you know Adolf H. was a animal lover.

[@itrthho]

Better idea, my friend, study Washington and his entire life and not just a short video.

[@Mels925]

Key words: my opinion

[@zeeqayum4834]

@@michaelkelly7968 goes to show your intelligence, automatically trying to defend a pathetic inhumane piece of garbage like Washington just because you are an American nationalist and he founded our “great nation”. You just can’t accept facts that run contrary to your fairytale view of Washington.

[@GroundersSourceOfficial]

My stomach and respect for Washington considerably dropped gravelly. 🤢

[@GroundersSourceOfficial]

@Nogent On the stark contrary, I never idolized anyone, including Washington. I respected his Presidency as he was the first one and got us out of England. On the same coin, he also existed during at was was 'normal' in the day, and thus, acted out immoral to fellow beings. This was wrong, regardless and I am glad that this side of him was revealed. In school history, the curriculum did not have coverage as you were given only one side of history and the other stuff was censored.

[@edp3202]

I'd love to hear about the immigrant labourers in NYC and east coast in early 1900's and what their lives were like.

[@shawnmichaelduncan5951]

It wasn't wasn't easy. Sane with lots white farmers across America.

[@edp3202]

@@shawnmichaelduncan5951 I have Irish and Italian ancestors who worked as east coast laborers in early 1900s.

[@recusantium]

This was the point of what conservatives call “critical race theory” in classrooms. To teach the good and the bad.

[@maxthecharacter1296]

Anyone with a good mind would agree that both good and bad sides of history should be taught. But the problem with Critical Race Theory is how extreme it can be sometimes, thanks to the school. I've watched how parents (both white and black) have argued against CRT. A lot of them are fine that children should learn about all aspects of history. However, the tactics some schools adopt have been seen as extreme. Like how one school (I think it was in New York) had white children apologize to black children for slavery, or how a black mother is suing a school for allowing her black daughter and other black children to be taught separately from white children. Personally, I believe the teachers union should be blamed. It's fine to teach both the good and bad about America's racist past. However, it should never go to the point of reflect such bad actions on a generation that never experienced it. Equality should also be taught, not to the point of treating black children as automatic victims (as one black father put it).

[@chuckrobinson599]

That's a lie. CRT is revisionist racism.

[@Tripoloski132]

Critical race theory is pretty bad

[@DelightLovesMovies]

Thanks Weird History for keeping me entertained during the pandemic.

[@regalcartoon5932]

Most kids do not learn that he had slaves. They want to hold him up as a perfect and godly hero. And for some, he was. But for most, he really wasn’t.

[@RD-nq7fl]

Many of the founding fathers of USA 🇺🇸 had slaves including several Presidents; however, many school boards voted to keep this information out of public schools history books. I took several African American history courses in college were I learned about 1619 way before the book was published. I had the opportunity to visit a Planation Outside of New Orleans prior to Hurricane Katrina, and I had to hold back my tears. The Laura Plantation had slave quarters intact at the time of my visit. This Slaves quarters had no floors. Imagine when it rained or cold the slaves suffered with wet mud dirt as floors. I can’t explain in words: A person would have to visit USA plantation tours to “really” understand the suffering of USA slaves.

[@peoplebeforeprofit]

Truly astounding how many people in this comment section don’t want to hear or learn the entire history of the founding fathers. They would prefer the world believe they were benevolent, god fearing, warrior hero’s. It would be funny, if it weren’t so sad.

[@itrthho]

Well, Mount Vernon can can get your of slave tour. So most are pretty open to it.

[@CujoHyer]

Most people want the full truth, not the same biased bullshit in the opposite direction. Was George Washington a perfect person? No. And its insane to believe anyone is a perfect person.

[@DizzyMamba]

Believe it or not you can be a god fearing hero and still make mistakes. Thomas Jefferson and Ben Franklin wanted to abolish slavery.

[@tonebalone9203]

Its funny to hear people like you whine trying to press today's morals to people who lived hundreds of years ago. Must of voted for biden, thats like getting mad at cavemen for murdering dinosaurs for food......

[@promontorium]

Yeah I'm not seeing it. I think you're full of it.

[@dennist8290]

In my history classes these parts weren't left out but they also were never deeply explored.

[@isaiahaguilera7710]

I was taught in school that Washington owned slaves but treated them relatively better than most at the time. As I have gotten older and started learning about history outside of the US Education system, My suspicions on him not being that good of a person were growing after doing a little bit of research on his actions during revolution. Not really surprised though, He is just another morally grey person in history for me now personally, He did some good things, He did some bad things. Simple as. Good work as always Weird History.

[@moralkombat66]

Never worship a historical figure. You will always be disappointed. Sometimes I wonder how our future generations will view the present people almost universally considered good.

[@jonsnowight9510]

This is basically the life of nearly everyone at the time. It's horrific to "own" another person, but to imply that almost any of what is described here was exclusive to slaves is just incorrect. Life was hard, days were long and everything hurt. That was life at the time. Being a slave undoubtedly made things worse, but most of what is talked about here would have been the same for the vast majority of the people alive at that time.

[@jenrutherford6690]

Not true . Other people could move and hold a hope for betterment as the slaves that escaped Washington did . He made every attempt to remove all hope.

[@itrthho]

Or to just one slave master. Mount Vernon has slave tours...so they are not hiding it.

[@The7Reaper]

This, judging people who lived in the 1700s through modern day glasses is pretty silly honestly.

[@jonsnowight9510]

@@jenrutherford6690 The operative words you seem to have overlooked or (more likely) chosen to ignore were, "almost" and "most." Yes, slaves had a much harder life largely bereft of agency and dignity, but that isn't what was discussed in this video, was it? No, the narrator spoke of long work days, poor nutrition, disease, crappy housing, etc. All things that, as I said, nearly every person alive at that time would have had to deal with and to much the same degree.

[@CastleMiser]

I remember when master Washington would treat us KFC if we work harder every Friday - 👴🏿

[@callmedavid9696]

Glad this channel put this honestly. U.s history has been largely altered in what is taught in schools. It's alarming how biased and propaganda like it is...

[@planescaped]

I remember realizing how much nonsense there was in the history curriculum in 5th grade(around the same time I realized the problematic nature of the pledge of allegiance)! Mostly because I played a lot of historical video games and watched a lot of historical movies and thus had far more general outside knowledge than the other kids.

[@Neddoest]

Thank you talking about _this_ history… bc whether people or like it or not- this IS the history of the USA.

[@trevormichael4906]

Part of the history, yes. All countries have ugly parts of their history. To think America is the only one is intellectually dishonest.

[@peoplebeforeprofit]

@@trevormichael4906 What’s your point? Say “America wasn’t the only one”. Is that supposed to absolve American, the founding fathers somehow? This is about accountability, not whataboutism.

[@thecleaner4887]

@@trevormichael4906 He never claimed America was the only country with periods of bad history . As Americans living in America we need focus on our own history rather than other countries history.

[@Neddoest]

@TOS100 Returns oh I’m willing to bet Trevor is quite good at twisting and spirals.

[@marybeth1644]

The difference is that I am not ashamed of the behavior of other countries because those countries are not my country. None of Washington’s accomplishments can override the damage he did to his fellow human beings. Freeing his slaves on his death bed does not exonerate his cruelty and inhumanity. It tells me he might have been a bit worried that he had pissed off God. You can love your country and criticize it at the same time. That is free speech. The ideals the founders espoused are the same ideals that allows us to recognize that Washington was cruel. Not acknowledging the way he treated his slaves does not make that ugly part of history disappear. America was founded on great principles and many of the men who articulated those principles did not practice what they preached. You can say that since slavery was legal that Washington was just a product of his times. But that discredits his ability to know right from wrong. It demeans his intelligence to make excuses for intolerable cruelty. It actually paints Washington as the ultimate “sheep.”

[@Infinitebrandon]

Ty weird history. This needs to be known.

[@TheAto2000]

I'm only learning now about how rich George Washington was.I didn't realize that he owned so many slaves As a kid I thought that his providing for their freedom when he died made him relatively good. But now I see that he was not necessarily the gentlest slave master.

[@demetriusdeabreu7474]

he had his faults but what he did for america was great and without him we would probably still be under british rule so with him it was the lesser of two evils. Option A would be washington who was a slave owner but at the end of his life he figured that having slaves was bad or option B which would be still be slaves but you have to serve a king and the different levels of aritocrasy and it would be impossible for you to raise social status since the only way was to marry into aritocrasy and no family at the time would allow someone without noble blood to marry into their family.

[@borisjohnsonslostcomb7457]

What's wrong with British Rule again?? I still see zero difference in any government, it's all the same song and dance and I don't want to participate anymore

[@donaldsmith8648]

Got DANG he had a lot of slaves.. I'm half black and native American.. So i love too hear about stuff like this from the past reminds me to be thankful for those before me

[@donaldsmith8648]

@John Elway not one time did i dump on the USA.. Don't know where you read that in my post.. With that being said i served this country for 9 years so your comment doesn't apply too me have a nice day

[@bettysmith4641]

@@donaldsmith8648 thank you for your service!

[@donaldsmith8648]

@@bettysmith4641 your welcome by THE way i love your last name lol

[@bettysmith4641]

@@donaldsmith8648 I like yours too 🙂

[@psychojoe4764]

Washington: i once saw John Wick kill 3 men in a tavern with a feather quill, a fucking feather quill.

[@jcaraway8206]

It’s very easy for us today to judge the sins of people from our past...

[@jrmckim]

Even people back then judged him. You didnt hear that part?

[@jasondashney]

@@jrmckim You know of someone in history who wasn't judged by anyone at all?

[@r3wturb0x51]

It saddens me to know he treated them so poorly, but I guess I shouldn’t be surprised.

[@plawson8577]

ALL Virginian Plantation Male Slavemasters treated their outdoor Slaves poorly.

[@_The_Worst_]

🤯...This is an absolutely incredible story...💯✔️

[@24framedavinci39]

I knew this video would stir the ignorant in the comment section. I was not disappointed.

[@RellshouldBsleep]

Elaborate you mean like calling George Washington out for the horrible things he did?

[@peoplebeforeprofit]

Let me guess, you’re anti CRT?

[@mikeseier4449]

@@RellshouldBsleep calling Washington out?.. that’s such a retarded phrase used out of context. It came from the old days of someone calling a person out for a fight ,duel or other physical confrontation; not to say you hurt my feelings.. also, you cannot call someone out who has been dead for centuries.

[@Friday_Night_Frights]

@@mikeseier4449 No, but you can certainly "call out" their acts despite them being dead. Historians interject their own opinions on subjects like this all the time. Also, phrases evolve over time. Judging by modern standards requires modern language. After all, it's what we know best, right?

[@Black-Sun__x]

I wish everyday this country never got involved in slavery.

[@itrthho]

Well, Almost every country had it, traded in it, profited off it, in the 1700’s. True, wish the USA could have broke the pattern.

[@Black-Sun__x]

@@itrthho yeah its highly unfortunate

[@da-vidcargill4975]

Slavery was perform by everyone over the years so stop

[@Black-Sun__x]

@@da-vidcargill4975 yeah and look whos suffering the consequences and got absolutely none of the stolen wealth. Obviously ex slaves suffered the most but us poor/commoner white folk now suffer the ire of our countrymen and have 0 of the generational wealth.

[@bohemianwriter1]

@@Black-Sun__x I thought poor Americans were deliriously happy to live in "land of the free" and home of the bootstraps legend.

[@kenbrown5096]

This is one thing I don’t get about America. We always complain about being under the British rule, if George Washington didn’t fight to come from under Britain’s iron fist. Now honestly let’s just be real, George Washington did that for whites not blacks for one. So for blacks we don’t really care about the whole British iron fist situation. Two, if we were still under British rule and George Washington didn’t fight. Slavery would have been ended in America way before actually did in American history. Another fact, Britain actually treated their slaves with less or no cruelty. Which I cannot say the same for America. One clear example how America comes in and bully blacks. Back in the beginning of Louisiana when it was under French control and then became Spanish control. Blacks had their society yes they were enslaved but they had rights they had days off like real days off. They had schools for different levels of blacks. But when American whites purchase Louisiana they came in and put their harsh American slavery mindsets on the lives of black Louisiana people. Also, before America purchase Louisiana. Blacks were able to walk around and sit around whites. I bring this fact up because before America purchase Louisiana the Catholic Church was open for all races to sit side-by-side. But when America purchase Louisiana the separation became a factor. So to bring everything together, to be honest yes slavery was all around world back then. Slavery was a big business, but America used harsh conditions treating their slaves like dogs. Yes when Europeans captures slaves the ships were disrespectful. But when they got to land life wasn’t so bad for slaves outside of America. Again Britain ended slavery long before America and it didn’t turn into any type of Jim Crow situation after slavery like America. Just look up the history of British slavery. Because if you look at it, it seems like America was the harsh one and not Britain

[@ThePeacemaker848]

You will own nothing and you will be happy.

[@justinhackstadt6677]

John Wick wouldn't have abided such dog cruelty. 😓

[@leonarddroneview6947]

I lived at Fort Belvoir the army base for almost 10 years.as a teenager I used to leave the shore of the army base and paddle my kayak up the Potomac river in front of Mount Vernon I have been to Mount Vernon more times than I can count. It is a beautiful place sitting on the front porch and looking over the Potomac is a view I will never forget. I went to Mount Vernon high school as a teenager which was not far from the house I even got to go under the house one time in the basement. I have actually walked around in the woods on the banks of Mount Vernon probably illegally but as a teenager I was curious I actually did find something in the woods and kept a souvenir I won’t say what it was .There’s a rumor that the original skeleton key to the house is somewhere in the river I always hoped I could find it. It is a beautiful place but it is sad to think of all the slaves that died there . there’s only a small monument for the slave burial ground I really want to go back there as a child I did not understand much about slavery but in my mid30s now I understand the price these people paid just to support our first president

[@kevincorso7929]

You know your diabolical when you’re worried about wasting free labor. Imagine if he was paying 30% like most companies now.

[@chuckrobinson599]

Free? How do you get free? A slave cost as much as a new car would today. Are they giving those away where you live?

[@kevincorso7929]

@@chuckrobinson599 can your car have sex with another car and produce you a new car? Your analogy is flawed sir.

[@michaelhowell2326]

My opinion of Washington has not changed. He did more good in his life than bad, and in the end that's the best any of us can ask for. Even as slave holders, he and his contemporaries set in motion a gift all Americans are still receiving. What we do with that gift is up to the individual.

[@jenrutherford6690]

The gift of hate and distress. Of hideous levels of wealth and abject poverty.

[@KuronoCthulhu]

@@jenrutherford6690 Go complain about modern slavery instead of dead men.

[@itrthho]

Complicated man in a complicated time

[@michaelhowell2326]

@@jenrutherford6690 what you choose to do with the gifts is up to you. You can complain about how awful and unfair the world is and hope that someone cares or you can take what has been given to you and hit the ground running trying to improve your and others lives.

[@craigbishop8818]

Whatever

[@chash4568]

Thank you for telling this history. I love the truth!

[@questfortruth665]

What a guy! On the upside, in the winter months the days were a lot shorter. That's the only positive thing I could come up with.

[@Whiskerybeast]

That's the only thing I could think of too.