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Article: George Washington's Slaves; Why the flags at Mount Vernon flew at half mast on Sarah Johnson's death.
- Article from:
- The Washington Post
- Article date:
- February 24, 2008
CopyrightThis material is published under license from the Washington Post. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Washington Post. (Hide copyright information)
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SARAH JOHNSON'S MOUNT VERNON
The Forgotten History of an American Shrine
By Scott E. Casper
Hill and Wang. 286 pp. $25 Before elaborate monuments and
lavishly funded libraries preserved the memories of our presidents,
there was Mount Vernon. After George Washington's death in 1799, his
home and tomb in Virginia became the first temple to a U.S.
president, an "American Westminster Abbey," in the words of
University of Nevada history professor Scott E. Casper. Yet, for
many years the history of slavery at Mount Vernon remained hidden in
plain sight behind its graceful, carefully maintained facade.
Now, at last, Casper tells the story of the invisible men and
women who worked the 8,000-acre ...