Never Caught

by

Erica Armstrong Dunbar

George Washington was a Revolutionary War hero and the first president of the United States of America. Pressured into public life after the 50-year-old was already weary following his involvement in the American Revolution, Washington reluctantly ascended to the highest office in the land in 1789. Washington, who lorded over a sprawling estate called Mount Vernon in Virginia, nonetheless constantly teetered on the brink of financial insolvency. Washington and his wife, Martha, were firmly dependent upon slave labor to maintain their land and their finances—over 300 slaves toiled at Mount Vernon, and Washington brought along a small, trusted group numbering fewer than 10 enslaved men and women up north when he moved to New York and then Philadelphia to begin his presidential duties. Up north, Washington encountered rapidly-shifting sentiments regarding the institution of slavery—together with his wife Martha and his trusted white secretary Tobias Lear, Washington began prevent their ability to benefit from a law that would allow them to claim freedom after six months in Pennsylvania. After George and Martha planned to bequeath Ona Judge, one of Martha Washington’s “dower slaves” and personal attendants, to their granddaughter Eliza upon her marriage, Ona fled—and Washington spent a considerable amount of time and energy over the next several years trying to recapture Ona and return her to bondage. In exposing readers to a little-known—and morally repugnant—aspect of Washington’s life, Dunbar seeks to complicate her audience’s understanding of how the U.S. was founded, who America originally sought to protect, and what the country’s legacy of paternalism and racism means today. Dunbar presents Washington as a reluctant yet powerful figure who, in spite of his famous emancipation of his slaves on his deathbed, nonetheless clung to the institution of slavery fiercely while he lived (and while it benefited him).

George Washington Quotes in Never Caught

The Never Caught quotes below are all either spoken by George Washington or refer to George Washington. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Slavery and Paternalism Theme Icon
).
Chapter 2 Quotes

With George and Martha Washington hundreds of miles away, their lives were now in the hands of George Augustine and the overseers. Would the slaves at Mount Vernon be treated decently? Would the nature of their work change, and if so, how? The uncertainty of life and the involuntary separation of family members reminded every black person at Mount Vernon that the system of slavery rendered them powerless.

Related Characters: Erica Armstrong Dunbar (speaker), George Washington, Martha Washington
Page Number: 23-24
Explanation and Analysis:

The president and his wife were well aware that the practice of slavery was under attack in most of the Northern states. They also knew that though New York's residents still clung to bound labor, public sentiment regarding African slavery was changing. Unwilling to even think about abandoning the use of black slaves, the president and the first lady were careful in their selection of men and women who traveled with them from Mount Vernon. Their selections involved only those slaves who were seen as "loyal" and therefore less likely to attempt escape.

Related Characters: Erica Armstrong Dunbar (speaker), George Washington, Martha Washington
Page Number: 25
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 5 Quotes

The president worried that his own slaves were in danger of exposure to the epidemic of black freedom, and although Washington believed that his slaves were better served and cared for in his possession, he understood the power and the allure of freedom. Washington wrote, "For although I do not think they would be benefitted by the change, yet the idea of freedom might be too great a temptation for them to resist.”

Related Characters: Erica Armstrong Dunbar (speaker), George Washington
Page Number: 64
Explanation and Analysis:

Imprudently believing that he could prevent his slaves from hearing about the laws, Washington insisted that the utmost discretion be used regarding their plan of slave rotation in and out of Philadelphia. More than a loss of labor was at stake. If Ona Judge and her enslaved companions uncovered the truth about their slave status in Philadelphia, they would possess knowledge that could set them free. Power would shift from the president to his human property, making them less likely to serve their master faithfully, and eventually, they might run away.

Related Characters: Erica Armstrong Dunbar (speaker), Ona Maria “Oney” Judge Staines, George Washington
Page Number: 69
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 6 Quotes

Judge stayed on in the President's House as Washington served his second term, becoming accustomed to her episodic trips back to Mount Vernon. Following the death of her mother and brother, the world that she once knew so intimately at Mount Vernon had vanished, perhaps reminding Judge that Mount Vernon was less a home to her than was the North.

Related Characters: Erica Armstrong Dunbar (speaker), Ona Maria “Oney” Judge Staines, George Washington, Betty , Giles and Paris , Austin
Page Number: 86
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 8 Quotes

But still, she was willing to face dog-sniffing kidnappers and bounty hunters for the rest of her life. Yes, her fear was consuming but so, too, was her anger. Judge could no longer stomach her enslavement, and it was the change in her ownership that pulled the trigger on Judge's fury. She had given everything to the Washingtons. For twelve years she had served her mistress faithfully, and now she was to be discarded like the scraps of material that she cut from Martha Washington's dresses. Any false illusions she had clung to had evaporated, and Judge knew that no matter how obedient or loyal she may have appeared to her owners, she would never be considered fully human.

Related Characters: Erica Armstrong Dunbar (speaker), Ona Maria “Oney” Judge Staines, George Washington, Martha Washington, Elizabeth Parke “Eliza” Custis Law
Related Symbols: Clothing
Page Number: 109
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 10 Quotes

Why would any of the Washingtons' slaves run away, especially Ona Judge? Hadn't she been treated well, clothed, and fed? […] Even though John Langdon was no longer a slaveholder, he knew what must be done. Not only were the Washingtons family friends, but as a senator of the United States, he was obligated to follow the law. Ona Judge was a fugitive and the Washingtons were entitled to their property.

Related Characters: Erica Armstrong Dunbar (speaker), Ona Maria “Oney” Judge Staines, George Washington, Martha Washington, John Langdon , Elizabeth Langdon
Page Number: 134
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 11 Quotes

In Washington's mind, there was no possible way that Judge could or would have engineered her own escape under the watchful eyes of her owners. Someone else must have lured her away and planned her escape, for as Washington wrote to Wolcott, "not the least suspicion was entertained of her going, or having formed a connexion with any one who could induce her to such an Act."

Over time, Washington grew adamant that a boyfriend was at the center of Judge's getaway. The president believed that a known acquaintance of the first family, a "Frenchman" to be exact, was involved in Judge's escape.

Related Characters: Erica Armstrong Dunbar (speaker), Ona Maria “Oney” Judge Staines, George Washington
Page Number: 139
Explanation and Analysis:

If Washington wanted his slave woman back, he would have to follow the law and consequently expose himself to the growing antislavery sentiment in New Hampshire and across New England.

Related Characters: Erica Armstrong Dunbar (speaker), Ona Maria “Oney” Judge Staines, George Washington, Joseph Whipple
Page Number: 148
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 12 Quotes

Righteous indignation and a belief in her right to be free prompted her final and fierce response to Bassett, telling him, "I am free now and choose to remain so."

Related Characters: Ona Maria “Oney” Judge Staines (speaker), Erica Armstrong Dunbar (speaker), George Washington, Martha Washington, Burwell Bassett Jr.
Page Number: 166
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 13 Quotes

Archibald published this first interview on May 27, 1845, in the Granite Freeman, an abolitionist newspaper. The article appeared on the forty-ninth anniversary of her escape—almost to the day. With her children deceased, the elderly Ona Staines no longer hid from the spotlight. Now in her early seventies, the fear of being returned to the Parke Custis heirs had finally been vanquished.

Related Characters: Erica Armstrong Dunbar (speaker), Ona Maria “Oney” Judge Staines, George Washington, Martha Washington
Page Number: 185
Explanation and Analysis:
Epilogue Quotes

"When asked if she is not sorry she left Washington, as she has labored so much harder since, than before, her reply is ‘No, I am free, and I have, I trust, been made a child of God by the means.’” Although she never regretted her escape, she could not forget her family members who still lived at Mount Vernon. Leaving them behind was the greatest of sacrifices.

Related Characters: Ona Maria “Oney” Judge Staines (speaker), Erica Armstrong Dunbar (speaker), George Washington
Page Number: 187
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Never Caught LitChart as a printable PDF.
Never Caught PDF

George Washington Quotes in Never Caught

The Never Caught quotes below are all either spoken by George Washington or refer to George Washington. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Slavery and Paternalism Theme Icon
).
Chapter 2 Quotes

With George and Martha Washington hundreds of miles away, their lives were now in the hands of George Augustine and the overseers. Would the slaves at Mount Vernon be treated decently? Would the nature of their work change, and if so, how? The uncertainty of life and the involuntary separation of family members reminded every black person at Mount Vernon that the system of slavery rendered them powerless.

Related Characters: Erica Armstrong Dunbar (speaker), George Washington, Martha Washington
Page Number: 23-24
Explanation and Analysis:

The president and his wife were well aware that the practice of slavery was under attack in most of the Northern states. They also knew that though New York's residents still clung to bound labor, public sentiment regarding African slavery was changing. Unwilling to even think about abandoning the use of black slaves, the president and the first lady were careful in their selection of men and women who traveled with them from Mount Vernon. Their selections involved only those slaves who were seen as "loyal" and therefore less likely to attempt escape.

Related Characters: Erica Armstrong Dunbar (speaker), George Washington, Martha Washington
Page Number: 25
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 5 Quotes

The president worried that his own slaves were in danger of exposure to the epidemic of black freedom, and although Washington believed that his slaves were better served and cared for in his possession, he understood the power and the allure of freedom. Washington wrote, "For although I do not think they would be benefitted by the change, yet the idea of freedom might be too great a temptation for them to resist.”

Related Characters: Erica Armstrong Dunbar (speaker), George Washington
Page Number: 64
Explanation and Analysis:

Imprudently believing that he could prevent his slaves from hearing about the laws, Washington insisted that the utmost discretion be used regarding their plan of slave rotation in and out of Philadelphia. More than a loss of labor was at stake. If Ona Judge and her enslaved companions uncovered the truth about their slave status in Philadelphia, they would possess knowledge that could set them free. Power would shift from the president to his human property, making them less likely to serve their master faithfully, and eventually, they might run away.

Related Characters: Erica Armstrong Dunbar (speaker), Ona Maria “Oney” Judge Staines, George Washington
Page Number: 69
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 6 Quotes

Judge stayed on in the President's House as Washington served his second term, becoming accustomed to her episodic trips back to Mount Vernon. Following the death of her mother and brother, the world that she once knew so intimately at Mount Vernon had vanished, perhaps reminding Judge that Mount Vernon was less a home to her than was the North.

Related Characters: Erica Armstrong Dunbar (speaker), Ona Maria “Oney” Judge Staines, George Washington, Betty , Giles and Paris , Austin
Page Number: 86
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 8 Quotes

But still, she was willing to face dog-sniffing kidnappers and bounty hunters for the rest of her life. Yes, her fear was consuming but so, too, was her anger. Judge could no longer stomach her enslavement, and it was the change in her ownership that pulled the trigger on Judge's fury. She had given everything to the Washingtons. For twelve years she had served her mistress faithfully, and now she was to be discarded like the scraps of material that she cut from Martha Washington's dresses. Any false illusions she had clung to had evaporated, and Judge knew that no matter how obedient or loyal she may have appeared to her owners, she would never be considered fully human.

Related Characters: Erica Armstrong Dunbar (speaker), Ona Maria “Oney” Judge Staines, George Washington, Martha Washington, Elizabeth Parke “Eliza” Custis Law
Related Symbols: Clothing
Page Number: 109
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 10 Quotes

Why would any of the Washingtons' slaves run away, especially Ona Judge? Hadn't she been treated well, clothed, and fed? […] Even though John Langdon was no longer a slaveholder, he knew what must be done. Not only were the Washingtons family friends, but as a senator of the United States, he was obligated to follow the law. Ona Judge was a fugitive and the Washingtons were entitled to their property.

Related Characters: Erica Armstrong Dunbar (speaker), Ona Maria “Oney” Judge Staines, George Washington, Martha Washington, John Langdon , Elizabeth Langdon
Page Number: 134
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 11 Quotes

In Washington's mind, there was no possible way that Judge could or would have engineered her own escape under the watchful eyes of her owners. Someone else must have lured her away and planned her escape, for as Washington wrote to Wolcott, "not the least suspicion was entertained of her going, or having formed a connexion with any one who could induce her to such an Act."

Over time, Washington grew adamant that a boyfriend was at the center of Judge's getaway. The president believed that a known acquaintance of the first family, a "Frenchman" to be exact, was involved in Judge's escape.

Related Characters: Erica Armstrong Dunbar (speaker), Ona Maria “Oney” Judge Staines, George Washington
Page Number: 139
Explanation and Analysis:

If Washington wanted his slave woman back, he would have to follow the law and consequently expose himself to the growing antislavery sentiment in New Hampshire and across New England.

Related Characters: Erica Armstrong Dunbar (speaker), Ona Maria “Oney” Judge Staines, George Washington, Joseph Whipple
Page Number: 148
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 12 Quotes

Righteous indignation and a belief in her right to be free prompted her final and fierce response to Bassett, telling him, "I am free now and choose to remain so."

Related Characters: Ona Maria “Oney” Judge Staines (speaker), Erica Armstrong Dunbar (speaker), George Washington, Martha Washington, Burwell Bassett Jr.
Page Number: 166
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 13 Quotes

Archibald published this first interview on May 27, 1845, in the Granite Freeman, an abolitionist newspaper. The article appeared on the forty-ninth anniversary of her escape—almost to the day. With her children deceased, the elderly Ona Staines no longer hid from the spotlight. Now in her early seventies, the fear of being returned to the Parke Custis heirs had finally been vanquished.

Related Characters: Erica Armstrong Dunbar (speaker), Ona Maria “Oney” Judge Staines, George Washington, Martha Washington
Page Number: 185
Explanation and Analysis:
Epilogue Quotes

"When asked if she is not sorry she left Washington, as she has labored so much harder since, than before, her reply is ‘No, I am free, and I have, I trust, been made a child of God by the means.’” Although she never regretted her escape, she could not forget her family members who still lived at Mount Vernon. Leaving them behind was the greatest of sacrifices.

Related Characters: Ona Maria “Oney” Judge Staines (speaker), Erica Armstrong Dunbar (speaker), George Washington
Page Number: 187
Explanation and Analysis: