And watch for of the authors in the near future on book tv on cspan2. Good evening everyone. The study of George Washington at mount vernon, and the washington leverage we have an annual event that were finally getting around to this year. We are going to have our annual lecture fostered by the foundation here. Were thrilled to have this opportunity to bring together some of this most important scholarships on the mother of George Washington. Mary ball washington. This popular event was set up some time ago. And understand the world, the times and the experiences the Martha Washington and other women of the 18th century. One of those of course Mary Ball Washington. They state womens History Month from the month of march. And because of the closure here we are tonight. One important thing i think everyone in the audience pretty much knows right nobody can say too many times, mount vernon, we have open to her to audiences to visitors i should say if you come to mount vernon and have an opportunity to come through the grounds here see the museum, the education center. Advice and will be able to hold earth of the mansion was not ready yet. And we want to make that is safe space. But please, come visit mount vernon and continue to support us in that way. On july 8, coming right up around the corner, for naming book talk. We will feature the host and creator of a recent miniseries. On the constitution. But interviewed by someone who notable by his own right. Please join us for that conversation with the judge and David Rubenstein so that we can learn more about his exploration. Tonights events will involve three panelists. But i will describe you. But i do want to introduce our guests. Doctor karen wolf who is historian and also the director. And professor of history and every cent Washington Library fellow. And she was working on a project in this way came to the library the project that is coming soon. When a soon predict a lineage in the history of genealogy in our america. Karen, welcome. Thank you so much kevin. Its so nice to say hello to you for my dining room. Weiser dining room. It. Just a roundabout way from you i think. Im in rock hill maryland right now. Will welcome. Im not going to intrude any longer. If im going to ask you to introduce our panelist tonight. As im looking forward to the talk. It. Thank you much. We appreciate that created self hello to all of you. Welcome. Im really sorry there were not together in person for this conversation about a really interesting person. But also about some of the most important and challenging issues in early American History. Want to thank mount vernon for bringing us together. My family has loved visiting there for many decades. It might not be surprised another one of the last things the culture is in supporting research. New information, questions and perspectives, critical early american aspirated mentally healthy essential for our nation. In those contributions to fresh exhibits and interpretations. But also in smokes like this we are talking about this evening. Grappling with some court issues in the series. How do we tell the histories of people who are not George Washington. Suit people who were not super well documented from this. And follow movement are hard to document created some murky residences in washington. But this is such an important history. So going to start with just employed hundred quick contacts about. Washington. In the structure of virginia. Mary ball washington is known to all of us as the mother of George Washington. Tonight we will let george the minor character the life of the woman who lives almost the whole of the 18th century. Born in 17 oh eight, to a wellconnected family and she married in 1731 into another wealthy and connected family which would in 1743 and then died in 1789. And mary ball and then Mary Ball Washington, she is live men and women and children the first of whom she inherited when she was just three years old when her father died. Tom, joe and jack. In all of the places that she and her family lived, it was 40 50 percent of race and trend people and she was married for 12 years. To George Washingtons father and she bore six children. Five who lived in the eldest became the first president. She managed 300 like a hundred acre estate for more than three decades and she wasnt keen to leaving. Even when she was elderly. But she did eventually. Into the for the 17 years of a long life in fredericksburg, virginia. And is now that town. In the opportunities of exploring this book better understanding of the market faster and returning to a distinguished panel. And perhaps my last name, always in favor of introducing people from alphabetical order. It solo career of politics. It four bestsellers about ronald reagan, political biography of Newt Gingrichs career any summer 1941. A New York Times bestseller about the events and attack on pearl harbor. And most recently he published Mary Ball Washington covenantal story George Washingtons mother. In 2019. In the come back to the best century 18th century. And martha is professor and women studies and the author of being good abraded womens moral values in early american. And interpretations of American History. And its having as many graduate students in American History after event. She is the common fellow of New York Public Library and shes just published the widow washington. The life of mary washington, and she is already won an award. Im not sure that is public knowledge. Maybe she will tell us that. As but not least, my dear friend who is professor of history at the college and the other of ladies and gentlemen on display. In 1798 to 1860. An american aristocrat. And shes currently writing a book about market arnold. And i promise you that will be important. Shes also coeditor of essays of women in George Washingtons world. And shes one of the coeditors of the jefferson series. So this is the moment traditionally when we would applaud our panelist and welcome them. Thank them for joining us this evening. Salute scared actually with craig. As i said, we welcome you back to the best century, the 18th century but i will ask you for deeply because youve been a historian of greater risk. One thing that is super interesting to me is that you talk about the history and tradition of Mary Ball Washington biography. You begin your volume on the 18th of three been talking about the impact of the 18th century and the legacy of the traditions in the way people have written about her. Can you talk to us a little bit about that. Sure and thank you very much. And want to thank everybody amount vernon. The place to start is why god interested as i always wanted to do a biography of George Washington. This pretty well been written out. But 11 a house was built in 1730. In virginia. And always have had a fascination with washington. I have two favorite presence. Reagan in washington. And they remain fascinating to me. Because had multiple careers and interests and talents. But the court to me as we were actually Episcopal Church here in the Northern Neck of virginia where the ball family attended. A little i cant think of the names now. But the ball family, is all very in the graveyard there. So its really been interesting, and i found out really until the book came out. In the my book was at the scholarship on Mary Ball Washington has been very thin. And what was out there was a frankly very good. After she passed away until about 1860 where she was treated as if she was married to the mother of jesus. She was a saintly figure. She was dealt with that way. In the. After the civil war, when realism begun into called in american writings and in melville and things like that. She took on a much harder cast preach one for me as i say from being june cleaver to john crawford. The fact of the matter was neither was soon brought the true. The truth was much more in the middle. When i got into the scholarship i got into the research. Found out that this was a very talented woman. Even one good part of washington. She was an weathered. Will actually she was leonard person. She is a very fine hand. And wrote very literate letters. And she also lived in another country, most of her life is in fredericksburg which was a booming metropolis in the 1750s and 60s. So whatd you emerge for me is that a much more sophisticated woman and woman that in history had not been very kind to. I think that between martha and myself, i think we started to address the idea that she needs to be looked at more closely. George as you mentioned, the father died when he was only 12 years old. It occurred to me that in over stepfather lawrence what he was never around really all that much. In the work really very strong figures pretty had two tutors in his lifetime. Where did the washington chief all of these qualities that we associated with him. The bravery, and faith and honor all those things. It had come from somebody. And i think the correct conclusion is all these qualities in fact came from his mother. So that makes her just because she had him but because how she race George Washington. It makes her may be the most important woman in the history of american republic. Karin wulf thank you so much. Its really interesting reflection. Im sure that the people in fredericksburg would prefer your booming metropolis description to mine. It certainly was a lively place in the 18th century. It certainly are dominant in the area than i think we may have thought. On ask you to just a quick followup care about Mary Ball Washington and how people have interpreted her as a mother over time. You said she goes from being june cleaver to john crawford. The 20th century visual media references there. Which are also talking about much longer. From the 19th century into the late 20th century where im wondering if youre thinking this is really because people were interpreting motherhood differently. And kind of a popular conception of women and womens roles differently is there interpreting mary washington. Craig shirley i dont think is any doubt about that karen. Almost as historian and scholars, channel the modern sensibilities into our words. Were not guilty, of being judgmental of the qualities of today. Growth doing that but we are taking a closer look at the men and women that were in the past. Trying to seize. This flowchart try to do. I tried to imagine what it would be like having a lot of help from my wife and the mother combusted a lot of research in my book. The one get a womans perspective. What was like to be a single woman raising six children and the five children. And since it was not very hospitable to women. As they didnt have the votes. But women couldnt even own property. Her job and all womens jobs was to take the property with their deceased husband has loaned to them. Then their job is to pass along to reach the age of majority. For the men for the oldest son. To do what she had do to raise the children, we were all pretty respectful citizens. One being the most respectful citizen. And possibly history the american republic. So she couldve done something right. Maybe a lot of things right to have raised her son under such difficult circumstances and produce a man whose describe my pathway, first in the hearts of his countrymen. Karin wulf thank you. I appreciate that a lot. Actually, he just surfaced up there for me to ask martha a question. About widowhood. If we can switch over here. Just wanted to know for everybody watching the martha has been expressing some laryngitis. So her daughter just came this would read some of her responses for us. The martha will catch up with us with the followup. So thanks josephine. We appreciate that predict and this is actually very suitable. Theres this kind of mother daughter thing happening here. Seems really appropriate. Someone start out by asking martha, and josephin via joseph. It tells a little bit more the great touched upon which is Martha Washington position as a widow, an elite woman and a freeborn or how they can help us understand her in the world she lived in pretty give us a little bit of context that if you would. Martha i should say that Yvette Nelson thinks of the my daughter could read it pretty so it is a little bit formal but i think it answers your question and for go on too long. If my daughter goes on too long, just tell us so. Karin wulf okay. Josephine telling the story is a member of the gentry, opens wide range of discussion about the 18 century virginia including class slavery. White women some times contradictory roles in the way that the legal system shaped white male supremacy. Her position as an elite white window is us to view a different privileged and her lack of fundamental rights. Rights decision to stay unmarried after the death of her husband at a certain category of women the special freedom and special legal and customary liabilities. Virginia permitted widows to own property virginia laws and the judiciary work to keep womens ownership of land both exceptional and temporary. In marys case, the will classes plantations and son by his first marriage and divided up the rest of the lead among his and marys sons. He left a small amount of money to his marys daughter betty. If mary the right to use the house led where she lived only until george became of age. And augustine left her approximately the same number of enslaved people whom she had brought to the marriage. In stipulated that if she company for more, it would come from among people designated for her children. This is well set her at odds with the children. So the legal goal of keeping land with lemon and trying to reduce property owning widows to dependency which was considered the natural condition for women read these Legal Practices created the conditions for widespread friction between mothers and the firstborn sons. Mary stated the familys farm after george became of age because he was already in mount vernon and she had failed to find the means to build yourself a home over the years, the quest for small sums of money to meet her expenses on this relatively infertile property purchase them. Until he finally took of her for her taking to improve it make the profit he believed was to him. As happened, he in that endeavor. Ill never know wife mary remained single. She had a model of independence between the time young mary was about six until she was about 12. She watched her mother run the farm, litigate to recover property, and make her own decisions. Mary may also not have wanted more children. Another important factor was augustines provision will issue primarily for second has been tampered with the childrens legacies, she would lose guardianship of them. As a child, the gases had experienced guardians fighting over his and his brothers legacies so he wanted to prevent this not uncommon occurrence. In primary standpoint it would be difficult to be sure that any Perspective Center might not have designed honor the childrens property and she was not going risk control over her children. Marys experience with the slave owner over the course of much of the 18 century offer slips as of the unsettling and unsettled intimacy slaveholders and enslaved people as well as between suggesting changes at the institutions developed over that time. Emily became the owner of two young enslaved boys and a man at age three when her wealthy father died. The role of slave owner inevitably blended her empathy and shake your sense of command center believe in the necessity of slavery. She had children about age were probably occasionally her playmates but whatever the game, she would win. She grow from a small farm enslaved and free lived close together. The stepfather and mother personally forced to work out of their captives. Mary stepfather died, her mother took over an initial hiring an overseer. But still controlling the farm in the enslaved workers. Marriage born in the period were very high number of kids of africans were entering virginia. Seeking Foreign Languages and some with scarring. Bib altered in frightened and rebellious. Raise financial guardian neighbor George Etheridge was among the legislators writing nearly 18 century loss making owners as complete control over the lives of africans. Marys father family litigation of the children and unborn children of young enslaved women. Her mothers will promised mary enslaved women. She would be valuable the more valuable although less costly than enslaved men. Mary wouldve known this because women want in the field as well as the house and produced children that their owners could work for themselves. With marys early ownership within the voice under membership in the early 18 century Generation Health maker and utterly slave owner and family story has her whipping and an enslaved slickly mishandled her carriage. During revolution, she asked george to borrow the enslaved priscilla who worked at vernon pretty George Dilley because priscilla is not to be separated from her condo remarried persistent got away. And while she separated enslaved family members recklessly. As a woman, but later marginally is a widow, she had to demonstrate her authority and strength before her slaves and overseers. Perceived weakness could lead to part weakness. Lindley widows widows, straw more often in the courts. Those women. By the time the merry was known women, the misfits saying that women do not use violence. Martha washington for example is protected by georges role in mount vernon of insight people cannot complain to her of an overseers discipline. The prevailing ideology of sensibility along the distances, wealthy planters would create mistresses national daytoday extraction of work from laborers left marys woman, vulnerable to the criticism of unusual