7 interesting facts about George Washington

7. The only Southern Founding Father to free his slaves in his will

George Washington ordered that his 123 slaves should be freed upon the death of his wife, reportedly making him the only Founding Father from the South to include such a provision in his will.

A lifelong slave owner, Washington never openly endorsed the abolition of slavery. However, in his latter years, he became increasingly bothered by his possession of enslaved individuals.

“[Washington] spoke of being an enslaver as his only source of ‘regret.’ He wrote that he owned human property ‘very repugnantly to my feelings,’ that he wished to ‘liberate’ his enslaved people, and that such an act would be in keeping with ‘the Justice of the Creator,’” explained the Encyclopedia Virginia.

“In the last summer of his life, Washington wrote a will freeing all his own enslaved people, but he kept the document and its contents secret until he was on his deathbed, most likely fearing that his heirs would attempt to dissuade him from releasing valuable property.”

In addition to freeing his slaves, Washington’s will also called for any of the emancipated individuals who were younger than 25 to be taught how to read and write, as well as learn a profession.

Encyclopedia Virginia noted that “the very notion of education for enslaved people was revolutionary — with this clause Washington declared that, with education and the opportunity to work, freed formerly enslaved people could prosper."