Never Caught

by

Erica Armstrong Dunbar

Martha Washington Character Analysis

Martha Washington was the first first lady of the United States of America, and the wife of George Washington. After the death of her first husband, Martha remarried George—but when George became a Revolutionary War hero and the clear choice for the first president of the fledgling United States, Martha found herself facing a public life she never dreamed of. The wealthy widow Martha, in possession of an enormous number of “dower slaves,” or human “property” inherited upon the death of her first husband, was of a nervous constitution, perhaps brought on by the deaths of several of her children from her first marriage. Martha and George together doted upon the children of Martha’s children, particularly Wash, Nelly, and the mercurial but favored Eliza. As Martha and George moved north from Mount Vernon to New York, and later Philadelphia, Martha relied heavily upon the bondwomen who served her as housemaids and personal attendants. She was determined to do anything she could to retain her “property” once Northern anti-slavery sentiments and laws alike threatened her ability to maintain ownership of the enslaved men and women whom she viewed as personal assets. Martha attempted to give Ona, one of her personal attendants, to her granddaughter Eliza on the occasion of Eliza’s marriage. This careless shuffling of Ona from one “owner” to another, Dunbar asserts, was a crucial moment in Ona’s journey—and the deciding factor in her choice to run away and pursue freedom in spite of all its attendant dangers. Martha’s attitudes were indeed a product of her social class, her upbringing, and the era in which she lived—yet Dunbar is careful to remind readers that Martha and George alike subscribed to harmful, racist ideas of paternalism and collectively refused to see the men and women they kept enslaved as capable (or even worthy) of independence, autonomy, and freedom. Martha’s anxious disposition, reluctant approach to her visible role in politics, and her refusal—even upon her death—to emancipate the slaves willed to her by her first husband cast her as a complex, antagonistic force in Ona’s life story.

Martha Washington Quotes in Never Caught

The Never Caught quotes below are all either spoken by Martha Washington or refer to Martha 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 3 Quotes

Although private correspondence reveals Martha Washington's personal struggles with the new demands placed upon her; Ona Judge, an illiterate teenager, left behind no such trace. We can only imagine what Judge's transition to Northern life must have felt like; it had to have been terrifying or at the very least, unsteadying. Yet the young bondwoman handled the abrupt change like a seasoned slave. […] [Ona] was Martha's "go-to girl" for just about everything, and it was Judge's duty to know the desires of her mistress before Martha Washington knew them herself. A slave always had to be prepared, for anything.

Related Characters: Erica Armstrong Dunbar (speaker), Ona Maria “Oney” Judge Staines, Martha Washington
Page Number: 36
Explanation and Analysis:

Coming from a family of talented seamstresses, Judge was responsible for Martha Washington's appearance. She selected her gowns, made small repairs on aging skirts, removing stains whether they be from food or the dirt from the unpaved streets, and then dressed her. What appeared to be the mundane task of wardrobe selection for the first lady was actually quite important. A wardrobe lay at the root of one's appearance, and the mistress and her slave girl fashioned an image for the new American aristocracy.

Related Characters: Erica Armstrong Dunbar (speaker), Ona Maria “Oney” Judge Staines, Martha Washington
Related Symbols: Clothing
Page Number: 36-37
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 7 Quotes

In an effort to help Eliza ease into her new matrimony, Martha Washington stepped in, and offered Eliza the support she needed: she would bequeath Judge to Eliza Law as a wedding gift.

If Judge ever believed that her close and intimate responsibilities for her owner yielded preferential treatment, she now understood better. The bondwoman now knew for certain that in the eyes of her owner, she was replaceable, just like any of the hundreds of slaves who toiled for the Washingtons.

Related Characters: Erica Armstrong Dunbar (speaker), Ona Maria “Oney” Judge Staines, Martha Washington, Elizabeth Parke “Eliza” Custis Law
Page Number: 95
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 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

Only sixteen years old, Philadelphia was saddled with the responsibility of serving the new Mrs. Law. Perhaps Philadelphia had proven herself to be trustworthy and reliable and was therefore the natural replacement for her older sister. Or maybe, in a fit of anger, Mrs. Washington purposely selected Philadelphia to serve the new Mrs. Law, a duty that would require her to leave Mount Vernon and head for a new home in the Federal City. If vindictiveness was her motive, Martha Washington was successful. Philadelphia followed in her older sister's footsteps, leaving behind the world she knew at Mount Vernon.

Related Characters: Erica Armstrong Dunbar (speaker), Ona Maria “Oney” Judge Staines, Martha Washington, Elizabeth Parke “Eliza” Custis Law , Philadelphia
Page Number: 189
Explanation and Analysis:
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Martha Washington Quotes in Never Caught

The Never Caught quotes below are all either spoken by Martha Washington or refer to Martha 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 3 Quotes

Although private correspondence reveals Martha Washington's personal struggles with the new demands placed upon her; Ona Judge, an illiterate teenager, left behind no such trace. We can only imagine what Judge's transition to Northern life must have felt like; it had to have been terrifying or at the very least, unsteadying. Yet the young bondwoman handled the abrupt change like a seasoned slave. […] [Ona] was Martha's "go-to girl" for just about everything, and it was Judge's duty to know the desires of her mistress before Martha Washington knew them herself. A slave always had to be prepared, for anything.

Related Characters: Erica Armstrong Dunbar (speaker), Ona Maria “Oney” Judge Staines, Martha Washington
Page Number: 36
Explanation and Analysis:

Coming from a family of talented seamstresses, Judge was responsible for Martha Washington's appearance. She selected her gowns, made small repairs on aging skirts, removing stains whether they be from food or the dirt from the unpaved streets, and then dressed her. What appeared to be the mundane task of wardrobe selection for the first lady was actually quite important. A wardrobe lay at the root of one's appearance, and the mistress and her slave girl fashioned an image for the new American aristocracy.

Related Characters: Erica Armstrong Dunbar (speaker), Ona Maria “Oney” Judge Staines, Martha Washington
Related Symbols: Clothing
Page Number: 36-37
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 7 Quotes

In an effort to help Eliza ease into her new matrimony, Martha Washington stepped in, and offered Eliza the support she needed: she would bequeath Judge to Eliza Law as a wedding gift.

If Judge ever believed that her close and intimate responsibilities for her owner yielded preferential treatment, she now understood better. The bondwoman now knew for certain that in the eyes of her owner, she was replaceable, just like any of the hundreds of slaves who toiled for the Washingtons.

Related Characters: Erica Armstrong Dunbar (speaker), Ona Maria “Oney” Judge Staines, Martha Washington, Elizabeth Parke “Eliza” Custis Law
Page Number: 95
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 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

Only sixteen years old, Philadelphia was saddled with the responsibility of serving the new Mrs. Law. Perhaps Philadelphia had proven herself to be trustworthy and reliable and was therefore the natural replacement for her older sister. Or maybe, in a fit of anger, Mrs. Washington purposely selected Philadelphia to serve the new Mrs. Law, a duty that would require her to leave Mount Vernon and head for a new home in the Federal City. If vindictiveness was her motive, Martha Washington was successful. Philadelphia followed in her older sister's footsteps, leaving behind the world she knew at Mount Vernon.

Related Characters: Erica Armstrong Dunbar (speaker), Ona Maria “Oney” Judge Staines, Martha Washington, Elizabeth Parke “Eliza” Custis Law , Philadelphia
Page Number: 189
Explanation and Analysis: