Research Catalog
Never caught : the Washingtons' relentless pursuit of their runaway slave, Ona Judge
- Title
- Never caught : the Washingtons' relentless pursuit of their runaway slave, Ona Judge / Erica Armstrong Dunbar.
- Author
- Dunbar, Erica Armstrong
- Publication
- New York : 37 Ink/Atria, [2017]
- ©2017
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| Status | Format | Access | Call Number | Item Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Available - Can be used on site. Please visit New York Public Library - Schomburg Center to submit a request in person. | Text | Use in library | Sc E 17-515 | Schomburg Center - Research & Reference |
Details
- Description
- xvii, 253 pages : illustrations; 24 cm
- Summary
- "A revelatory account of the actions taken by the first president to retain his slaves in spite of Northern laws. Profiles one of the slaves, Ona Judge, describing the intense manhunt that ensued when she ran away."--NoveList.
- "When George and Martha Washington moved from their beloved Mount Vernon in Virginia to Philadelphia, then the seat of the nation's capital, they took nine enslaved people with them. They would serve as cooks and horsemen, as house servants and personal attendants. The North was different for the entire household, free and enslaved, white and black. There was a new climate to adjust to, and new mores as well. Slavery, in Philadelphia at least, was looked down upon. Indeed, there was even a law requiring slaveholders to free their slaves after six months. Yet George Washington thought he could outwit and circumvent the law by sending his slaves south every six months, thereby resetting the clock. Among the slaves to figure out this subterfuge was Ona Judge, Martha Washington's chief attendant. Having interacted with Philadelphia's sizable free black community, Ona Judge observed and soon longed for liberation. And, risking everything she knew, leaving behind everyone she loved and had known her entire life, she fled. Here, then, is the story not only of the powerful lure of freedom but also of George Washington's determination to recapture his property by whatever means necessary. Never Caught is the only book that examines the life of an eighteenth-century fugitive woman in intricate detail, and it provides a new look at George Washington's relationship to slavery. An important new work on one of the world's most celebrated families, Never Caught is a must-read for anyone interested in American history."--Dust jacket.
- Subjects
- Slavery
- Slaves
- Fugitive slaves
- Washington, Martha, 1731-1802
- United States
- Judge, Oney
- Slaves > United States > Biography
- 1700-1799
- History
- Relations with slaves
- Biography
- Biographies
- Washington, Martha, 1731-1802 > Relations with slaves
- Washington, George, 1732-1799 > Relations with slaves
- Pennsylvania > Philadelphia
- Fugitive slaves > United States > Biography
- Slavery > Pennsylvania > Philadelphia > History > 18th century
- African American women > Biography
- Genre/Form
- Biographies.
- Biography.
- History.
- Bibliography (note)
- Includes bibliographical references and index.
- Contents
- Betty's daughter -- New York-bound -- New York in black and white -- The move to Philadelphia -- The blacks in the family -- Life in Philadelphia -- The wedding -- The fugitive -- Slavery and freedom in New Hampshire -- A close call -- The negotiator -- Mrs. Staines -- The survivor -- Epilogue: Ona's sister : Philadelphia Costin.
- Call Number
- Sc E 17-515
- ISBN
- 9781501126390
- 1501126393
- LCCN
- 2017932249
- OCLC
- 952647698
- Author
- Dunbar, Erica Armstrong, author.
- Title
- Never caught : the Washingtons' relentless pursuit of their runaway slave, Ona Judge / Erica Armstrong Dunbar.
- Publisher
- New York : 37 Ink/Atria, [2017]
- Copyright Date
- ©2017
- Edition
- First 37 Ink/Atria Books hardcover edition.
- Type of Content
- text
- Type of Medium
- unmediated
- Type of Carrier
- volume
- Bibliography
- Includes bibliographical references and index.
- Chronological Term
- 1700-1799
- Research Call Number
- Sc E 17-515