Slavery: Oney Judge
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Slavery in America
By Liane Hicks
Beginning in 1619, African men, women, and children were kidnapped from their homeland and shipped in brutal conditions to the American colonies to endure a life of hardship in bondage as slaves. While the international slave trade was outlawed in 1808, slavery continued in America, particularly in the southern states, throughout the 1800s. Slavery is an inextricable part of the story of America and it was rooted in racism that still impacts our society today.
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Storyboard Description
Create a history poster that details the life of someone during Slavery or an important event during that time period. This example is about Oney Judge.
Storyboard Text
- Oney traveled with the Washington's to Philadelphia during his presidency. Pennsylvania was a free state with a law that stated that any slave who resided in Pennsylvania for more than 6 months could claim freedom. To avoid losing his "property", Washington would send his slaves back to Mount Vernon every 6 months so they could never attain freedom.
- The Washingtons were very upset at her escape and began searching for Oney immediately. George Washington sent agents out to recapture her.But Oney Judge managed to evade capture in New Hampshire and while she remained a fugitive, she lived there for the rest of her life.
- Ona Judge Staines
- Ona was born in 1773 on George Washington's Mount Vernon to Betty, an enslaved seamstress, and Andrew Judge, an indentured tailor. "Oney" as she was called became Martha Washington's personal servant and seamstress.
- Oney ran for her freedom. She had met free Blacks and sympathetic abolitionists in Philadelphia that gave her hope of an escape. She was able to secure passage on a ship leaving for Portsmouth, NH, a free state. Oney never revealed the name of the ship captain as she didn't want him to get in trouble for assisting her.
- While Oney was no stranger to tragedy after her escape to freedom, she never regretted her choice. “When asked if she is not sorry she left Washington, as she has labored so much harder since, than before, her reply is, ‘No, I am free, and have, I trust been made a child of God by the means.’”
- Oney married a free Black sailor named Jack Staines and they had three children together. While in Portsmouth, Oney learned to read and became a Christian, finding meaning and comfort in attending church.Unfortunately all three of her children and her husband died before her. While Oney was free, it was hard to make a living and she lived in poverty.
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