Never Caught, the Story of Ona Judge: George and Martha Washington's Courageous Slave Who Dared to Run Away; Young Readers Edition

The authors assert, “Freedom did not erase racism. In fact, it could make racism worse” (124). Analyze how freedom might increase racism. To what extent is this true for Ona?

What aspects of Ona’s life are lost to history because of her status as an enslaved person? How do the authors handle such gaps in their rendering of Ona’s story? What might this say about the genre of historical narrative?

Evaluate the authors’ portrayal of George Washington. What considerations do they make in writing about a very well-known and historically acclaimed figure? How do they change the reader’s perception of him with this narrative?

In addition to being a racist society, what evidence does the book present that suggests the early United States was also a patriarchal one? How is this especially important in the case of Ona’s freedom? How does this also compare to Martha’s situation?

The authors note that Ona’s escape takes place decades before the Underground Railroad was established to help transport enslaved people from enslavement to freedom. Conduct some research into the Underground Railroad to discern what factors contributed to a successful fleeing from enslavement by a formerly enslaved person. Analyze how flight via the Underground Railroad differed from Ona’s escape.

One of the debates impacting the institution of slavery at this time was that of states’ rights. As a Federalist, George Washington supported a strong, central government that superseded the power of individual states. Others argued that issues, such as slavery, should be the purview of individual states. What modern-day issues have faced similar debates? What are the pros and cons of allowing states to set individual laws versus a single law that governs the entire United States? Analyze this debate in regard to Ona’s flight and movement between free and slave states.

On more than one occasion, the person sent by George Washington to locate Ona comes face-to-face with her. Yet none of them ever use force to bring Ona into custody and return her to the Washingtons. George himself instructs against this. What are his reasons for this? What does this say about his opinion of enslaved people and what he believes he is doing for them?

The book frequently mentions Richard Allen—a free Black man who was a community leader in Philadelphia. Conduct some research into Allen or another free Black leader to determine how they aided the abolition movement in the north. Analyze how these ideologies helped Ona decide to escape.