As the first President of the United States of America and the Commander in Chief who led a rebel army to victory in the Revolutionary War, George Washington was a legendary leader of men. He had high expectations of his soldiers, employees, and associates. At his Virginia plantation, Mount Vernon, his expectations of his workers were no different: "I expect such labor as they ought to render," he wrote.

Except there was a big difference. The workers who kept Mount Vernon operating were enslaved. And although Washington called them "my people," by law they were his property. The Founders birthed a document celebrating "Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness" as unalienable rights at the same time people were being bought and sold. But the people of Mount Vernon were so much more, and they each have compelling stories to tell.

In the pages of Master George's People, Marf Ferguson Delano gives us fascinating portraits of cooks, overseers, valets, farm hands, and more--essential people nearly lost in the shadows of the past--interwoven with an extraordinary examination of the conscience of the Father of Our Country.

This book has been graded for interest at 10+ years.

There are 64 pages in this book. This book was published 2013 by National Geographic Society .

Marf Ferguson Delano lives within biking distance of George Washington's Mount Vernon and has long been curious about her famous historic neighbor. Her curiosity led to a four-year research project and the discovery of a whole host of less-famous historic neighbors--the enslaved people who lived with George and Martha on their plantation farm and now so richly populate the beautifully written pages of Master George's People . Her previous books for National Geographic include Helen's Eyes: A Photobiography of Annie Sullivan, Helen Keller's Teacher and Earth in the Hot Seat: Bulletins from a Warming World . Visit her web site at www. marfebooks. com. Marf Ferguson Delano is the author of Genius: A Photobiography of Albert Einstein, named an Outstanding Science Trade Book by the NSTA/CBC. She lives in Alexandria, Virginia and is a graduate of Duke University. K. M. Kostyal has written a number of books for the National Geographic Society, including 1776: A New Look at Revolutionary Williamsburg , Trial by Ice: A Photobiography of Sir Ernest Shackleton , and Abraham Lincoln's Extraordinary Era . She is a history buff with a fascination for the Revolutionary and Civil Wars. Lori Epstein is an award-winning photographer for National Geographic Society. Her work has appeared in art galleries and a number of books, including 1862: Fredericksburg , Christmas in Williamsburg: 300 Years of Family Traditions , and Master George's People: George Washington, His Slaves, and His Revolutionary Transformation . To learn more, visit loriepstein. com.