Mount Vernon was the plantation of George Washington, the first president of the United States. The Virginia home and its celebrated gardens were built and maintained by enslaved laborers. Although Washington told close friends that he wanted slavery to end, he never spoke out publicly.His will directed that the 123 people he enslaved be freed,but only after the death of his wife, Martha.

During the Civil War, Mount Vernon was declared neutral ground for the opposing forces. For the Union, Washington was a “founding father” who fought for freedom. For the Confederate states, who placed him on their official government seal, Washington also was a Virginia enslaver. His duality asa public patriot and a private enslaver speaks to the hypocrisy at the core of US democracy, begging the question:“freedom” for who?