Editing Mount Vernon (section)

====George Washington's will====
In his will, written several months before his death in December 1799, George Washington left directions for the emancipation of all the slaves who belonged to him. Of the 317 slaves at Mount Vernon in 1799, a little less than half, 123 individuals, belonged to George Washington. Under the terms of his will, these slaves were to be set free upon Martha Washington's death.<ref name=will>{{cite encyclopedia|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150905132035/http://www.mountvernon.org/research-collections/digital-encyclopedia/article/george-washington-and-slavery/|archive-date=5 September 2015|url=http://www.mountvernon.org/research-collections/digital-encyclopedia/article/george-washington-and-slavery/|title=George Washington and Slavery|encyclopedia=George Washington's Mount Vernon: Digital Encyclopedia|publisher=[[Mount Vernon Ladies' Association]]|year=2015|access-date=30 November 2015}}</ref>

In accordance with state law, George Washington stipulated in his will that elderly slaves or those who were too sick to work were to be supported throughout their lives by his estate. Children without parents, or those whose families were too poor or indifferent to see to their education, were to be bound out (or apprenticed) to masters and mistresses who would teach them reading, writing, and a useful trade, until they were ultimately freed at the age of twenty-five.<ref name="will" />

When Martha Washington's first husband, [[Daniel Parke Custis]], died without a will, she received a life interest in one-third of his estate, including the slaves. Neither George nor Martha Washington could free these slaves by law. Upon Martha's death, these slaves reverted to the Custis estate and were divided among her grandchildren. By 1799, 153 slaves at Mount Vernon were part of this [[dower]] property.<ref name="will" />

Martha signed a deed of [[Manumission#United States|manumission]] in December 1800.<ref>{{cite web|first=Kathryn|last=Gehred|date=July 6, 2018|url=https://washingtonpapers.org/why-did-martha-washington-free-her-husbands-slaves-early/|title=Why Did Martha Washington Free Her Husband's Slaves Early?|work=Washington Papers|location=[[Charlottesville, Virginia]]|publisher=[[University of Virginia]]|access-date=June 13, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210123064754/https://washingtonpapers.org/why-did-martha-washington-free-her-husbands-slaves-early/|archive-date=January 23, 2021|url-status=live}}</ref> Abstracts of court records in [[Fairfax County, Virginia]] record this transaction. The slaves received their freedom on January 1, 1801.<ref name="will"/>