George Washington: A Complex Legacy

The first president of the United States had secrets most history books don’t start with.

George Washington is remembered as the father of the nation, but he never lived

in the White House — it wasn’t finished until after he died. He didn’t even want to be president

at first, yet he was unanimously elected because no one else was trusted enough to

lead the new country. Washington also survived multiple battles where bullets tore through his

coat without touching him, giving him a near-mythical reputation among his soldiers.

But here’s the uncomfortable truth: George Washington was also a slave owner. During his lifetime,

he enslaved over three hundred people at Mount Vernon and used legal loopholes to avoid freeing