B
Genre: Historical: American, Nonfiction
Never Caught: The Washingtons’ Relentless Pursuit of Their Runaway Slave, Ona Judge is a nonfiction book about the efforts of one of George and Martha Washington’s slaves, Ona Judge, to secure her freedom. In the process, the book describes the struggle the new nation had with slavery and how different states and different individuals dealt with the matter.
When Martha Washington married George, she was a widow with about 100 “dower slaves” (slaves that she inherited from her previous marriage that would have to be passed down to the children she had with her deceased husband). George also owned slaves at the time of the marriage, and after the marriage he acquired more through purchase or because of births.
Ona was one of the dower slaves. She became Martha’s personal maid as well as one of her most skilled seamstresses. When the Washingtons left Mount Vernon for Philadelphia, where the capital was located, they took Ona with them. Philadelphia was a hub for abolitionists and the Washingtons were careful to keep their slaves isolated from anyone who might “lure” them into escaping. They also made sure to periodically send their slaves back to Mount Vernon for a short while, so that none of the slaves would reside in Philadelphia for six consecutive months (according to Philadelphia law at the time, slaves that resided in Philadelphia for six consecutive months were entitled to manumission).
When Martha’s granddaughter Eliza got married, Martha decided to give Ona to Eliza. Faced with betrayal from Martha and a potentially difficult future with the emotionally volatile Eliza, Ona ran away in 1796. The Washingtons were furious over her “ingratitude” and tried for years to recapture her, but between a political situation in the North that forced them to tread delicately, and Ona’s ingenuity, they never succeeded. Ona lived the rest of her life as a free woman.
This book shines in revealing Martha, George, and Ona as people, with flaws and moods and family problems. Martha worries about Eliza, which is why she wants to give Eliza one of her most skilled slaves (her attitude is not that different from if someone gifted a new family with a top-of-the-line Kitchen Aid Mixer and a Roomba). George worries about the country, his finances, and his teeth, and Ona is stuck with managing these people’s moods. The book stresses repeatedly that one of the most important jobs of a house slave was to manage the moods of their owners. A depressed or worried or angry owner could mean trouble for slaves.
The book also strips away any illusions the reader may have about the Washington family and slavery. They were well aware that their slaves were not happy living in slavery. Ona was not only one of their slaves to escape or to try to escape. They actively prevented their slaves from being manumitted in Philadelphia. They chased Ona for years trying to recapture her. The Washingtons justified their actions to themselves by assuming that the slaves needed to be taken care of. In the case of Ona, they were initially convinced that she had been tricked into escaping and later furious at her “ingratitude” after being “treated like one of the family.”
The book’s primary focus is on Ona and her family at Mount Vernon and the family she created after her escape. This biographer does sometimes fall prey to the “She must have thought…” kind of speculation, but when possible she fills in gaps by laying out various options. For instance, Ona’s mother had a relationship with a white indentured servant (Ona was the result of that relationship). Was it love? Was it rape? Was it strategy (the man, once free of his term of indenture, could try to buy the family and free them)? We don’t know, but laying out the options presents an interesting and often horrifying look at how people navigated their lives under slavery.
The book covers some pretty elementary history. If you are already a history buff, you’ll probably be familiar with a lot of the information in the book. It’s still a worthwhile read, because it does such a good job of making history personal from a point of view we haven’t seen as often. Whether all the rich people in Virginia had slaves did not matter to Ona – SHE was a slave. She could not give a single shit whether the Washingtons were horrible humans or “products of their time.” It was not an abstract issue for her. She wanted freedom, and she was willing to give up her family and accept a life of much more difficult work than she had under slavery in order to count herself as a free person. By focusing on the story of a single person surrounded by people we thought we knew, this book brings the reader a view of slavery that is abhorrent, personal, and unrelenting. The focus on Ona also gives us a portrait of an unsung kickass woman who lived a difficult life, but who lived it on her own terms.
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I’m glad that some focus is being put on the fact that the Washingtons were slave owners. Most of the time, you hear about Jefferson, while the Washingtons were seen as saints.
Since I am unrepentant Hamiltrash that read the Hamiltome some months back (I got it out of the library, and still look longingly at it every time I’m in a bookstore, but things keep breaking on my car), I found it interesting the tack that Chris Jackson took regarding Washington. He knew Washington’s history as a slaveowner, and not a particularly loving one, however the history books try to avoid it, and it gave him a sense of pause when it came to portraying him. He talks about the conflict he felt, because on one hand, it gave him a chance to play George Washington, which felt undeniably kick-ass, but on the other, slaveowner, and he’s a black guy, and it didn’t sit comfortably. The way he ended up addressing it onstage, since it is not directly addressed in the play, is that during, “Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story”, when Eliza sings the line, “I speak out against slavery, you could have done so much more if you’d only had time”, you see Chris Jackson behind her bow his head in shame.
God, I want to see Hamilton.
Oh, look, my library has this. :::hold cheerfully slapped on:::
What an intriguing story. Thank you for this, Carrie.
At first I thought the name of the book was “Never Caught by Erica” and I was like, “Well THAT’S an interesting title choice!”
Then I had to Facepalm myself because damn.
Ona sounds like such a badass! Putting up with all the shit she did is atrocious enough, but being responsible for managing somebody else’s mood? I can’t even manage my OWN mood 57% of the time. Having that weight on her, like, damn. Makes me wanna kick Washington right in his fake ass teeth.
There is a Drunk History about Ona on YouTube that is pretty badass, for a less thoughtful more concise version of the story!
@Mary I’ve heard about Drunk History and hear it’s highly LOL-inducing! I’ve yet to do the watchy-watch but this one might just be where I start.
THREE CHEERS FOR ONA; SHE PERSISTED!
There was a webseries a couple of years ago called Ask A Slave that showcased how the Washingtons treated their slaves. It was created by an African-American actress who once worked as a historical re-enactor for a tourist site and all of the ridiculous questions that visitors asked her.
It’s still available to watch at YouTube and this particular episode came to mind after reading this review:
https://youtu.be/ik-fXNjxw58
@Lady T OOOOOH THIS SOUNDS SO GOOD! Thanks for the link!
Right now I’m working on captioning one of my romance novel video reviews (while getting distracted with SBTB comments of course) BUT THE SECOND I’M DONE, IMMA CLICK THE LINK!
It sounds like a good mix of sad and fascinating. Kind of the definition of history, I suppose.
Kobo says…”Available in the UK”. Yisssssss! I mean, more than I’d pay for a paperback, but I’m willing to pay more for good non-fiction (ah, university, you taught me
to paywellfor non-fiction;.@Lady T I just watched the episode AND HOLY EPIC DAAAAAAMN!…
Colleen: What is it that you’re working on?
Lizzie Mae: Oh this? It’s a shirt. I’ve gotta sew nine shirts a week, and that’s on my down time.
Colleen: By hand?
Lizzie Mae: Well I don’t use my feet.
Colleen: Oh my God. That is just so…I can’t imagine how anyone with a conscious would like actually make people be enslaved.
Lizzie Mae: You must pay your seamstress good.
Colleen: I don’t have a seamstress.
Lizzie Mae: Oh you make your own clothes?
Colleen: No, I just buy it at the store.
Lizzie Mae: You mean to tell me you don’t know the person who makes your clothing?
Lizzie: No.
Lizzie Mae: Then how do you know she ain’t in the same position I am?
I SWEAR I LITERALLY FIST PUMPED THE AIR! That’s it. I’m marathonning this whole series. THANK you for linking it!!!!
@ MinaKelly, lololol. I think two Master’s programs taught me the same thing. I’m gonna order this as soon as my credit card rolls over to the next statement, and then I’ll write all over it as if I were still in grad school. Lol.
@Jacqueline:
being responsible for managing somebody else’s mood? I can’t even manage my OWN mood 57% of the time.
Isn’t that what being a “traditional” woman is all about? You’re too emotional to ever be allowed to exercise your own judgment, so instead you base your life on suppressing your own feelings (the ones we’ve just established you can’t control) and being perfectly responsive to someone else’s …
Uhh …
This made sense to someone, somewhere, didn’t it?
@ Louise
Yes. Makes perfect sense. See Virginia Woolf or Charlotte Perkins Gilman on the Angerl in the House.
I have just finished this amazing biography. I am fascinated by the slavery issue and America’s founding fathers. Although I am a white Australian, I am extremely interested in the lives of Washington, Adams and Jefferson. I wish there had been more information on the lives of the freed slaves and their accomplishments. Well done Erica. An outstanding literary work and one that I found I could not put down. I am just sorry that I have reached the end. Thankyou for a different perspective on your first family.
Glenys Warren
Ok read for a smart 14 year old whose mom doesn’t yet want him to be exposed to sexually explicit stuff (good luck with that!)But as the grandmother, I have to do what she says and I want to get my grandson this book. I need someone’s permission. Thanks! From Watercress