George Washington Could Not Afford To End Slavery; and The Underground Railroad In his writings, George Washington felt very strongly that slavery was an institution that needed to be eliminated from American society. However, there were several circumstances that arose following the American Revolution that would prevent Washington from actively pursuing the elimination of slavery during his lifetime. It is certainly plausible that George Washingtons personal economic short-comings, forefront in the setting of conflicting political agendas and the nations revolutionary climate, prevented this founding father from actively pursuing the nationwide emancipation of slaves. Prior and during the American Revolution, little was written by Washington on his feelings about slavery. In the last year of the war and thereafter, more attention was spent by Washington on the issue of slavery. On February 5, 1783, Washington received a letter from Marquis de Lafayette, whom Washington considered both a friend and a son, that stated, “Let us unite in purchasing a small estate, where we may try the experiment to free the negroes, and use them only as tenants. Such an example as yours might render it a general practice…” (Sparks v.3, p.547). It is doubtful that Lafayette would have proposed this idea unless he knew that Washington had strong views on seeing the elimination of slavery. Washington wrote back to Lafayette on April 5, “The scheme… to encourage the emancipation of the black people of this Country from that state of Bondage in which. they are held, is a striking evidence of the benevolence of your Heart. I shall be happy to join you is so laudable a work…” (Fitzpatrick v.26, p.300). Unfortunately, Washington was still in charge of the American troops, and would be so until December, so he thought it would be best to “…defer going into a detail of the business, till I have the pleasure of seeing you” (Fitzpatrick v.26, p.300). However, when Washington finally did return home in December, he found himself in such great debt that even noble experiments like the one that Lafayette had proposed, had to took a back seat to getting Washingtons financial situation in order. Lafayette went on with his plan alone, buying land in the French colony of Cayenne (Sparks v.4, p.110). Washington was still very supportive of this plan despite his inability to participate, and on May 10, 1786, he wrote to Lafayette, “Your late purchase of an estate in the colony of Cayenne, with a view of emancipating the slaves on it, is a generous and noble proof of your humanity” (Fitzpatrick v.28, p.424). Washington hoped that the American people would have similar ideas and feelings on slavery, but he realized that this hope was very unlikely to be realized. He writes to Lafayette in the same letter, “Would to God a like spirit would diffuse itself generally into the minds of the people of this country; but I despair of seeing it” (Fitzpatrick v.28, p.424). While Washington believed that the slaves needed to be freed, he also thought that the process should be a slow and gradual one. He felt that to release the slaves all at once would, “Be productive of much inconvenience and mischief…” (Fitzpatrick v.28, p.242).
There would be a mass of former slaves in America who did not have the skills needed to survive. Many of them may have had to resort to stealing in order to feed themselves. It would also be very inconvenient for the slave holders who depended so greatly upon their slave work force. To eliminate such a work force would devastate many Americans, mostly Southerners, who relied heavily on slave-labor. In numerous letters, Washington stresses his desire to see Legislative authority enact a plan that would slowly and gradually free the slaves. In a letter to Robert Morris on April 12, 1786, Washington writes, “I can only say that there is not a man living who wishes more sincerely than I do, to see a plan adopted for the abolition of slavery…by Legislative authority…” (Fitzpatrick v.28, p.408). He also writes on September 9, 1786, to John Mercer that, “I never mean…to possess another slave by purchase; it being my first wishes to see some plan adopted, by
