An imperfect god: George Washington, his slaves, and the creation of America

Abstract

'Wiencek is a fine writer, a careful historian and an accomplished genealogist who engagingly invites readers into his researches.' - Raymond Seitz, Daily Telegraph. George Washington's will decreed that all his slaves were to be freed; an action that has fuelled controversy, speculation and intrigue ever since. In this groundbreaking work, Henry Wiencek explores the founding father's engagement with slavery at every stage of his life - as a soldier, politician, president and statesman. Based on a meticulous examination of private papers, court records and the voluminous Washington archives, Wiencek recounts the moral transformation that culminated in the emancipation of his slaves. Was this perhaps because - as the oral history of Mount Vernon's slave descendants has long asserted - he'd had a son by a slave called Venus? Using newly discovered evidence, Wiencek argues that this could indeed have been true...An Imperfect God is a fascinating and thought-provoking piece of historical detection and a masterpiece of biography.

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