To be fair, when the founding Fathers (no founding mothers, alas, except the ones whose husbands were sock puppets) wrote “All men are created equal,” the authors of the Declaration of Independence meant white men who owned property. I do not think their narrow view of humanity erases the revolution they wrought. And, in fact, if not for them, we probably wouldn’t have painfully, gradually expanded that promise to include women and people of color.
For example, while clearly a military and political genius, Washington was also a slave master whose wealth came from the labor of the people he enslaved. It’s complex and nuanced, and Americans do not, as a whole, do complexity and nuance well.
Of course, the Supreme Court has now relieved women of the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, but maybe that will change again some day.
Less Death Than You’d Expect
Five signers of the Declaration of Independence were captured by the British. However, none of them died while a prisoner, and only one was arrested for his signature
Comments
This item once included the term "brutal" with regard to Washington's treatment of his slaves. Leaving aside the question of whether any human relationship that is owner/owned is not brutal, there is an indication on the official Mt. Vernon website that it was not all skittles and beer: In his later years, George Washington believed that harsh punishments could backfire and urged overseers to motivate workers with encouragement and rewards. Still, he approved of “correction” when those methods failed. Mount Vernon’s enslaved people endured a range of punishments depending on the alleged offense. In 1793, farm manager Anthony Whitting accused Charlotte, an enslaved seamstress, of being “impudent,” by arguing with him and refusing to work. As punishment, he whipped her with a hickory switch, a reprisal Washington deemed “very proper.” Charlotte’s response—that she had not been whipped for 14 years—suggests that physical punishment was sporadic, but not unheard of, at Mount Vernon.