Washington at the Plow: The Founding Farmer and the Question of Slavery

George Washington was an innovative land manager whose passion for farming led him to reject slavery. He devoted himself to the improvement of agriculture and pioneered land-management techniques. He saw enslaved field workers and artisans as means of agricultural development but eventually found that forced labor could not achieve the productivity he desired. His decision to free his slaves after his death was informed by the inefficacy of chattel slavery and moral revulsion at the practice.

Format: Hardback
Length: 368 pages
Publication date: 12 November 2021
Publisher: Harvard University Press

Winner of the George Washington Prize, this captivating book offers a fresh and original perspective on George Washington, revealing him as an innovative land manager whose unwavering passion for farming would unexpectedly lead him to reject slavery. George Washington dedicated more of his life to farming than to war or political office, as he believed that agriculture was the key to achieving the "respectability and importance" that the American people deserved in the world.

Washington at the Plow portrays the "first farmer of America" as a prominent practitioner of the New Husbandry movement, which made significant advancements in crop rotation. Washington was an relentless experimentalist, abandoning tobacco production and embracing wheat production, setting a precedent for the rest of the country. He filled his library with the latest agricultural treatises and pioneered land-management techniques aimed at empowering small farmers, strengthening agrarian society, and ensuring the nation's prosperity.

Slavery played a significant role in Washington's pursuits. He viewed enslaved field workers and artisans as valuable assets for agricultural development and continually sought ways to adapt slave labor to new farming methods. He developed an innovative and rigorous system of slave supervision to achieve this goal. However, Washington eventually realized that forced labor could not meet his desired productivity levels. His struggle to reconcile his ideals of scientific farming and rural order with the institution of race-based slavery led him to reevaluate the traditional foundations of the Virginia plantation. As Bruce Ragsdale demonstrates, it was the inefficiency of chattel slavery, coupled with moral revulsion against the practice, that ultimately informed Washington's renowned decision to free his slaves upon his death.

This insightful book provides a profound exploration of George Washington's complex and multifaceted life, shedding light on his unwavering commitment to agriculture and his gradual rejection of slavery. It challenges our understanding of the historical figures we admire and highlights the profound impact of their choices on the course of history.

Weight: 732g
Dimension: 168 x 243 x 35 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780674246386