It would be interesting to learn what happened to Washington's slaves and their descendants. Has such a study been done? Henry Wiencek wrote: > > ..... Washington was not a racist, at least at the end of his > life. Washington came to believe that the apparent deficiencies in > blacks were not innate but the result of their enslavement. One very > powerful indication of this is to be found in Washington's will, in > which he freed his slaves and specified that the orphan children and the > children of parents unwilling or incapable of providing for them should > be bound out to masters and mistresses until age 25 for proper care and > education in a trade. -- James P. Lynch [log in to unmask] To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html