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Surviving Enslavement.m4aAlthough confined in the bonds of slavery, enslaved people exercised their agency, an action undertaken to produce a particular effect, in many ways. Enslaved people fell in love, formed family bonds, performed their own religious or spiritual practices, broke tools and faked illness to get out of work, or self-emancipated by running away.
Archaeological evidence from the slave quarters at George Washington’s Mount Vernon can tell us about lives of enslaved people – what they ate, how they were treated, and even how people resisted bondage. These objects, along with primary documents written by enslavers, can reveal stories about how some enslaved people exercised their agency to supplement their diet by stealing from household stores and doing whatever they needed to do to survive enslavement.
The objects in the photos below were discovered during an archaeological dig of the enslaved people's quarters at Mount Vernon.
A piece of lead shot
A piece of lead shot
Lead shot was used in muskets in the 18th and early 19th centuries. Some enslavers entrusted their enslaved people with muskets to hunt for food for the household.
Cowpea fragment
Cowpea fragment
Commonly known as black-eyed peas, this plant is native to Africa, and enslaved people may have grown them in their private gardens.
1725 silver coin fragment
1725 silver coin fragment
Coins in the 18th century, and earlier, were often cut into fragments to denote fractions of a dollar. This coin fragment may have been acquired from the sale of chickens or vegetables at the market in Alexandria, VA.
Primary Document
Primary Document
The following is an excerpt from a letter from George Washington to his farm manager William Pearce in 1795. The enslaved men he mentions, Nathan, Sam, and Joe, are listed in Washington's records without last names. He also refers to Joe by his job, "Postilion Joe." A postilion is a person who rides the leading left-hand horse of a team or pair of horses pulling a carriage.
“I wish you could find out the thief who robbed the Meat house at Mount Vernon, and bring him to punishment. At the same time secure the house against future attempts; for our drafts upon it will be pretty large, I expect… Nathan has been suspected, if not detected, in an attempt of this sort formerly; and is as likely as any one to be guilty of it now. Postilion Joe has been caught in similar practices; and Sam, I am sure would not be restrain[ed] by any qualms of conscience, if he saw an opening to do the like.”
Images: George Washington’s Mount Vernon. Text: George Washington, “Letter to William Pearce,” June 7, 1795. George Washington’s Mount Vernon.
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