Ona Judge: A Woman Who Escaped Slavery & the Washingtons

George Washington's Mount Vernon
George Washington's Mount Vernon
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Published 2019-02-27
Ona Judge Staines was enslaved and forced to work as Martha Washington's personal servant until she escaped from the President's Mansion in Philadelphia. Much is known of Judge's life in comparison to other people enslaved by the Washingtons as a result of newspaper interviews she gave in 1845 and 1847, as well as George Washington’s frustrated attempts to recover her after she self-emancipated.

In this video, African American Projects Coordinator Brenda Parker shares the story of Ona Judge, and how she ran away from the Washingtons to attain her freedom.

Learn more about slavery at Mount Vernon: www.mountvernon.org/slavery