About

Join historian Peter Henriques for a fascinating lecture on George Washington and slavery.

The early twenty-first century has been hard on the reputations of any of the Founding Fathers who were slaveholders, regardless of how significant their contributions may have been. Although George Washington was the only founder to present a plan to free his enslaved workers, it is also true that he lived with slavery and off slavery throughout his life. In this unflinching but fair and balanced assessment of Washington and slavery, Professor Henriques attempts to go beyond name calling and examine the dilemma Washington (and the nation) faced and what his actions, or lack of actions, reveal about the man and the country he founded.

Dr. Peter R. Henriques is professor Emeritus of History at George Mason University. He is the author of First and Always: A New Portrait of George Washington; Realistic Visionary: A Portrait of George Washington; The Death of George Washington: He Died As He Lived; and George Washington: His Quest For Honor and Fame.

The content and opinions expressed in these presentations are solely those of the speaker and not necessarily of the Virginia Museum of History & Culture.