Never Caught: The Washingtons’ Relentless Pursuit of Their Runaway Slave

In Chapter 5, Dunbar introduces a critical historical fact that influences the Washingtons’ decisions for years to follow. At the time of their move to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania had a law that “required the emancipation of all adult slaves who were brought in the commonwealth for more than a period of six months” (62). If the Washingtons’ enslaved laborers found out about the law, they could use it to their advantage, as had happened with a friend of the Washingtons who warned them about the situation.

To highlight the situation in Philadelphia, Dunbar delves into the history of Pennsylvania’s antislavery movement, which dates back almost to the founding of the colony. She provides a brief history of Quakers, whose influence eventually leads to the establishment of the six-month law that causes difficulties for the Washingtons. Their solution is to rotate their slaves to and from Mount Vernon (or elsewhere) every six months to keep the slaves from being able to claim emancipation under the law.

The Washingtons concoct reasons for the shuffle, going so far as to claim that sending Judge’s brother, Austin, ahead is to allow him to see his family, as opposed to resetting the amount of time that he’s been in Philadelphia. Though the Washingtons attempt to conceal the truth from their slaves, doing so is impossible, given the closeness of living quarters and the presence of free Black people and abolitionists who could pass on information. Hercules, the cook, finds out the laws and learns that the Washingtons do not trust him despite his record of service. Hercules chooses to remain enslaved to protect his family though Dunbar notes that six years later, “Hercules ran away and was never seen again” (73). The reader therefore cannot misinterpret Hercules’s choice to be content with his position, as racist arguments assert.

Dunbar begins Chapter 6 by noting some of the ways in which the Washingtons treated their slaves “well,” including allowing them to attend the theater and giving them money with which to purchase presents for family members in Mount Vernon. These allowances establish how the Washingtons allowed some freedoms; however, Dunbar also notes that the Washingtons carefully kept their slaves from encountering free Black people and anyone else who might poison their minds with notions of freedom.

Dunbar contends that Judge’s decision to remain with the Washingtons is likely driven by the fact that “she must have felt relatively safe in the President’s House,” (78), whereas running away or being emancipated only to be caught by another master could cause numerous other problems, including harder labor or sexual violence. With this discussion, Dunbar starts to delve into the vulnerability of Black women, who are at a disadvantage due to race and gender, and often subject to greater threats and difficulties than white women or Black men.

Turnover begins at the Washingtons’ house in Philadelphia, with some enslaved being sent back to Mount Vernon permanently due to injury or impudence. With the arrival of yellow fever, the Washingtons and their slaves return to Mount Vernon to wait out the spread of the disease. As the disease spreads, many free Black residents offer to help “as nurses and grave diggers” (83), based on the incorrect belief that Black people are immune to yellow fever. Free Black leaders see the epidemic as a way for Black people to gain white trust by helping. Instead, Black people are “accused of exploiting white vulnerability” (84).

During this period of moving and disease, Judge’s brother and mother both die. Losing her brother deprives Judge of the only family she has in the North while losing her mother deprives her of the only other direct family she has left. With this revelation, Dunbar demonstrates how Judge’s mindset begins to move toward freedom, as one of the few reasons for remaining enslaved is staying close to one’s family.

Chapter 7 begins with the news that Martha’s granddaughter, Eliza, is engaged to Thomas Law, a man 20 years her senior, whom George and Martha had not previously known. As Martha’s children had already died, and George and Martha have no children together, their grandchildren are extremely important to them. Not only is Eliza’s betrothed a foreigner, but he also has three biracial children from previous relationships. Judge and her fellow enslaved workers are in a precarious position of dealing with the Washingtons’ displeasure, particularly Martha’s.

Nearly in conjunction with Eliza’s announcement comes George’s decision not to seek a third term as president and Martha’s decision to give Judge to Eliza as a wedding gift. Dunbar notes, “Even though Judge had claimed one of the most revered positions within the Executive Mansion, she would always be a slave” (96). Moreover, “Judge must have worried that she might be the next target of Thomas Law’s sexual interest’ (97), given his obvious interest in nonwhite women. With her family gone and facing frightening prospects for her future—Eliza was reportedly even more temperamental than Martha—Judge must make a key decision while she is still in Philadelphia and has the possibility of escape.