Ona Judge, George Washington's fugitive slave

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  • Опубликовано: 11 дек 2024

Комментарии • 1,4 тыс.

  • @elainebmack
    @elainebmack 5 лет назад +341

    Ona Judge's story would make a FANTASTIC film.

    • @rone7104
      @rone7104 5 лет назад +20

      No, Hollywood doesn't make great movies anymore. Like The Revanant or Heart of the Sea among many others, they would take a great true story and turn it into a steaming pile of SH*T!

    • @andrewinbody4301
      @andrewinbody4301 5 лет назад +11

      I will wager that 75% of The History Guy's videos have nearly the same comment. Good stuff I'am glad I found it.

    • @jamesmerrill9446
      @jamesmerrill9446 5 лет назад +10

      Sad to say, they just don't seem to care to make fantastic films that demonstrate courageous people who struggle against seemingly insurmountable obstacles... I believe it would make a great movie!

    • @thebigcurve
      @thebigcurve 5 лет назад +17

      @@aliceshaw8265 If "think like liberals" means celebrating freedom and human dignity and opposing oppression, I will gladly claim that I "think like a liberal." Maybe Hollywood keeps turning good stories into left wing propaganda because conservative elements in society continue to attempt to keep us down. If inspirational stories about people who escape slavery and lead fulfilling lives lean left its because the slaveholders lean right.

    • @microdesigns2000
      @microdesigns2000 5 лет назад +5

      @@thebigcurve yet unsurprisingly, Hollywood hasn't chosen to use this story for a movie. The facts of the story are that she left luxury for freedom and allowed her children to enter indentured status and she found God. This story would be hard to use for the purpose of showing the hardships and wickedness of slavery, and equally difficult to avoid God, who isn't so popular on the big screen anymore. The left does tend to push and pull their agenda with their own brand of morality, which back in the day definitely included slavery, requiring a massive war to stop it. But the right wing also seems to deal with the devil. I prefer moderate politicians that would neither make public protests, nor send incredulous tweets that anger half the country. I guess I'm saying both the left and right have arguments with merit and none have the upper hand when it comes to what is best for the people.

  • @willeypoboy6052
    @willeypoboy6052 5 лет назад +18

    I grew up on the Maryland side of the Patomac river across from Mnt Vernon. Visited that plantation many times. I am of Scotch Irish desent, my mother made sure that I knew of Ona Judge as a very young boy. Slavery changed the way I looked at that hill across the river. Thanks for sharing this sir!

  • @SlyPearTree
    @SlyPearTree 5 лет назад +58

    What a remarkable woman, thanks for sharing her history with us.

  • @CBWMSJR
    @CBWMSJR 5 лет назад +401

    This is my first time hearing of this woman. Thank you

    • @bentnickel7487
      @bentnickel7487 5 лет назад +4

      mike rusch School for alot of people is meant to cover the basics. Beyond a highschool education, nowadays, is used to get a better job. I have a college education certificate in history, but I study and read everyday to just keep up and not be considered a simpleton. I am not implying that you are a simpleton, Mike. 😎

    • @thebonesaw..4634
      @thebonesaw..4634 5 лет назад +5

      @@bentnickel7487 -- I don't believe him, Mike... I think you should demand satisfaction and challenge this *"Nickle"* fellow to a duel (this is obviously a poorly used pseudonym for "Thomas Jefferson", who never liked Washington very much...) Time for a well deserved smack down. Pistols at dawn, in New Jersey (because, as everyone knows, *everything is legal in New Jersey* ...)

    • @bentnickel7487
      @bentnickel7487 5 лет назад +4

      The Bonesaw I'm coming for YOU, BONESAW, at dawn. Shot a man in Reno, just to watch him die. Johnny Cash 1957 😉

    • @stephenknutson5731
      @stephenknutson5731 5 лет назад +8

      This is precisely the type of story that should be made into a movie

    • @capnbobretired
      @capnbobretired 5 лет назад +1

      metoo

  • @rackbites
    @rackbites 5 лет назад +229

    The fact that Washington had to ask why she fled shows the mindset of the slave owners. "but I treated them well, why would they want to be free". Coupled with the preamble of the constitution regarding all men are free, one can see the cognative dissonance that made the American slave owner of this era so uncomfortable with themselves.

    • @georgeb8701
      @georgeb8701 5 лет назад +9

      Rick Bates >>> well said ✌🏻🇺🇸

    • @nunyadamn-buiiness4963
      @nunyadamn-buiiness4963 4 года назад +12

      Indeed, by modern standards, we recognize the slave as a human person. Let us not forget that the historical position has not always been so. Even well into the 20th century, there have been very influential groups of people (in power) who have sought to show that this group out that are not fully human. The whole Darwinian theory of evolution provides us with an easy cognitive out when our conscience is pricked.
      We even have remnants of those influential groups of people, operating under the same principles as their original founders, openly polluting their craft in the United States in the year 2020.
      Planned Parenthood was started by a eugenics supporter named Margaret Sanger for the purpose of eliminating those “undesirable” people from society. It is no coincidence that the largest abortion provider in the United States eliminates more people of color and has established itself prominently in minority communities.

    • @brachiator1
      @brachiator1 4 года назад +40

      @@nunyadamn-buiiness4963 Sorry, you can't blame Darwin for any of this. And of course, slave owners used the Bible to justify slavery. I have no idea what Planned Parenthood has to do with the story of a woman trying to escape slavery. But as an aside, contraception and birth control are about choice, even if Sanger believed in eugenics. And neither contraception nor abortion diminishes a woman's fertility. On the other hand, forcing enslaved women to have children and produce new slaves for their masters was a great evil.

    • @waynemalford3020
      @waynemalford3020 4 года назад +5

      Escaped or freed slaves faced a nearly impossible life during this time period.
      Usually most of their family was at the same plantation they were.
      Even if you made it all the way north, you still weren't likely to find employment or a safe place to live.

    • @Nathand0992
      @Nathand0992 4 года назад

      Cause they are lazy ass people

  • @johnslaughter7110
    @johnslaughter7110 5 лет назад +19

    Some of you're stories as of late have dealt with subjects few people want to remember or talk about. Not all history was fun and games or shows us in a great light. Your willingness to take on the tough subjects only deepens my respect and admiration of you. Thank you.

  • @billhunt2605
    @billhunt2605 5 лет назад +266

    Such a sad and tragic story. But, very deserving of being remembered. Thank you History Guy!

    • @trapperkcmo3460
      @trapperkcmo3460 5 лет назад +11

      are you kidding? that womans life was triumphant. what story were you listening to?

    • @Brenda-cf8qe
      @Brenda-cf8qe 5 лет назад +15

      trapper kcmo, I think Bill meant its sad and tragic when you think of the millions of people subjected to slavery. Ona is only one of few that became triumphant in that she had people helping her to free herself and go somewhere she could make a life for herself. Not many women like her would have had that courage

    • @ShavaChihera
      @ShavaChihera 5 лет назад +1

      I was going to like but didn't wanna break your perfect 100 likes. Sorry I'm ADHD

    • @edenevolution451
      @edenevolution451 5 лет назад +2

      This story is ABSOLUTELY TRIUMPHANT. the sad part was human traffickers repeatedly asking a person born free in mind, body and spirit to submit to their bondage., as if it was a no brainer.. 😂

    • @edenevolution451
      @edenevolution451 5 лет назад

      Brenda 1975 #Malarchy

  • @sonjitube11
    @sonjitube11 5 лет назад +178

    Read the book: Never Caught: The Washingtons' Relentless Pursuit of Their Runaway Slave, Ona Judge Book by Erica Armstrong Dunbar. Great story, this was never taught in school, but should have been.

    • @alimerhi5531
      @alimerhi5531 5 лет назад +2

      sonjitube11
      Maybe I’ll check that out.

    • @trajan75
      @trajan75 5 лет назад +11

      You should also read Flexner's book "Washington, the Indispensable Man". To learn of Washington's opposition to slavery and the steps he took to protect and eventually free his own slaves. It will give some perspective on this sad incident.

    • @everettewade923
      @everettewade923 5 лет назад +5

      No, it shouldn't. It would only reveal how 2 faces America is. On second thought maybe the kids need that information sooner than later...lol

    • @trajan75
      @trajan75 5 лет назад +7

      @@everettewade923 Washington was a great and good man; nevertheless a product of his time as we are of ours. America is not two faced but like every nation struggles to follow "the better angels of our nature"

    • @trajan75
      @trajan75 5 лет назад +2

      @@everettewade923 Washington was a great and good man; nevertheless he, was a product of his time as we are of ours. America is not two faced, but like all nations we struggle to follow "the better angels of our nature".

  • @c6142
    @c6142 5 лет назад +265

    Not "forgotten history",
    Omitted history... Big
    Difference.
    This guy does America
    A great service! ... Regardless of the
    Subject.

    • @greggi47
      @greggi47 5 лет назад +18

      I agree. Washington's teeth and the lie about the cherry tree are so much more comfortable to hear and think about.

    • @kennethjames4724
      @kennethjames4724 5 лет назад +18

      The problem with modern day education is they don't care to balance good and evil. It is either all good or all evil. When it's all good the evil is omitted; when it's all evil, the good is omitted. Much like our media.

    • @francesrude3007
      @francesrude3007 5 лет назад +3

      gregory browman. lol. The reason G. Washington didn't lie to his father, is because in those days, he would have gotten a "wuppin"

    • @bobcranberries5853
      @bobcranberries5853 5 лет назад +5

      Kenneth James could you imagine teaching things like this in school where everything is a hot topic. The media on both sides has everyone so stirred up we cant educate the kids to the whole story. Only the easy parts.
      Lol guess I’m saying the same thing you said.

    • @francesrude3007
      @francesrude3007 5 лет назад

      me hee maybe when he chopped down the cherry tree.

  • @aaronjohn6586
    @aaronjohn6586 5 лет назад +35

    Great story about personal courage and dignity. Imagine what it took to flee the home of the revered Washington and hold true to the idea of freedom.

  • @jamesmcgrath1952
    @jamesmcgrath1952 5 лет назад +161

    Excellent video. Even if your bondage is of velvet and leisure, it's still bondage.

    • @here_we_go_again2571
      @here_we_go_again2571 5 лет назад

      Exactly!

    • @CrixusHeart
      @CrixusHeart 5 лет назад +4

      @Yeah It's Me - You are so right. And make no mistake, Ona may have written "velvet" when company was over but her life had no "leisure".

    • @dirtypure2023
      @dirtypure2023 4 года назад

      @topherh33 Marriage is consensual and respects and enshrines the sanctity of life. Comparing it to slavery is disrespectful and callous to the brutality of slavery.

    • @dirtypure2023
      @dirtypure2023 4 года назад +1

      @topherh33 Certainly the government should have no place in the institution of marriage, but it is consensual nonetheless. Both parties voluntarily sign the marriage license like my wife and I did. We were not coerced by government to do so, we did so willingly and happily.

    • @DHW256
      @DHW256 3 года назад

      And there are untold stories of those, living in bondage due to the "law", who did return.

  • @FNFIHOCTW
    @FNFIHOCTW 5 лет назад +222

    This is why indentured servitude was not the same as slavery. As many people like to claim. Thank you for this American history.

    • @georgeboehringer5530
      @georgeboehringer5530 5 лет назад

      George Washington paid good money for that girl and treated her well she gets her responsibilities and her children died as a result

    • @FNFIHOCTW
      @FNFIHOCTW 5 лет назад +1

      @@georgeboehringer5530 You are a slave🤣

    • @here_we_go_again2571
      @here_we_go_again2571 5 лет назад +8

      @@georgeboehringer5530
      Ona belonged to George Washington's
      wife, Martha.

    • @georgeboehringer5530
      @georgeboehringer5530 5 лет назад

      @@here_we_go_again2571 were there a prenuptial Arrangements at that time?

    • @here_we_go_again2571
      @here_we_go_again2571 5 лет назад +5

      @@georgeboehringer5530
      Yes, dowries and marriage contracts were
      the norm within the landed class of the Old South. Marriage contracts still are
      the norm in many societies.

  • @nickv1008
    @nickv1008 5 лет назад +181

    Congress passed a law that exempted themselves from the law, how quaint.

    • @comparedtowhat2719
      @comparedtowhat2719 5 лет назад +2

      Nick V - Yes, that Congress did pass something, more than our current toothless Congress.

    • @nickv1008
      @nickv1008 5 лет назад +13

      @@comparedtowhat2719 yes, Congress would probably like to enslave all of us "free people", starting with endebting us, and taking away our constitutional rights, primarily defending ourselves both legally, and physically, and our free speech.
      Those new shackles got a cellphone and GPS, have you seen the new lavender ones?

    • @TorianTammas
      @TorianTammas 5 лет назад +7

      @@nickv1008 Did anyone force you to buy and use a cell phone? Free yourself and go offline.

    • @richardanderson4920
      @richardanderson4920 5 лет назад +11

      ALL of the laws concerning freeing slaves and exemptions for the members of the U.S. Congress described here, were laws of the State of Pennsylvania, not laws enacted by The United States Congress.

    • @nobodyspecial7185
      @nobodyspecial7185 4 года назад +3

      Not much has changed. With our corrupt government we are all slaves.

  • @marydahm6851
    @marydahm6851 5 лет назад +17

    I had not known about her, so thank you for bringing her story alive with such detail. She is worth remembering.

  • @paulbenoit6076
    @paulbenoit6076 5 лет назад +75

    Even back then Congress was exempted from following the same law that others followed. This will obviously never stop

    • @blessedveteran
      @blessedveteran Год назад +3

      It will when we stop voting for people who want to keep it that way 👍

  • @pegrathwol
    @pegrathwol 5 лет назад +192

    If you want another awesome story of a heroic free black man who refused to be taken into slavery, do a story on William Tillman. He was a black ship's steward who was captured when his vessel was taken by Confederate privateers at the outbreak of the Civil War, but rather than be taken into slavery, he staged a mutiny against the privateers, took back the ship, and sailed it back into New York harbor. The book "The Rest I Will Kill" by Brian McGinty recounts his tale. It's history worth remembering!

    • @barriewright2857
      @barriewright2857 5 лет назад +13

      That piece of history needs to be made in to a film.

    • @jblob5764
      @jblob5764 5 лет назад +9

      All good stories do involve pirates i swear 😅

    • @evelynpugh2787
      @evelynpugh2787 5 лет назад +8

      Song: "Before I'd be a slave, I'll be buried in my grave!"

    • @corazoncubano5372
      @corazoncubano5372 5 лет назад +7

      I'm going to check this out. As a decendant of Cuban slaves, I'm proud to read these stories of profiles in courage.

    • @kaleahcollins4567
      @kaleahcollins4567 5 лет назад +9

      As well as Elizabeth Jennings she fought the Newyork city transportation system 100 yrs before Ms. Rosa parks. With the help of the young Garfield Arthur whom was a lawyer then she fought the treatment of Free blacks from the trolley companies SHE WON A WHOPPING $500( about 2000 today i think) FROM THE CITY which was un heard of . and they changed the law so that free blacks of high morals ( middle classes) can seat anywhere on the trolley .

  • @nigeh5326
    @nigeh5326 5 лет назад +55

    Never heard about this lady before she sounds like a strong intelligent woman in a time when it was very hard to be one.

    • @georgeboehringer5530
      @georgeboehringer5530 5 лет назад

      If she was smart she wouldn't have run off could have been her that made the new American flag

    • @akristen4971
      @akristen4971 4 года назад +2

      Great book recently written by Erica Dunbar called Never Caught is all about Ona Judge

    • @reet7060
      @reet7060 Год назад

      @@georgeboehringer5530 George shut your dumb, barely graduating high school slow ass up

  • @korbell1089
    @korbell1089 5 лет назад +249

    How would you like to come back to Virginia and become a slave again?
    Ona: "Let me think....NOPE!!!"
    Thanks HG for another good epidsode.

    • @corazoncubano5372
      @corazoncubano5372 5 лет назад +6

      Hello. She should have thrown some thing at him.

    • @leighfoulkes7297
      @leighfoulkes7297 4 года назад +7

      How dumb is that question?!

    • @Soozeeqz222
      @Soozeeqz222 4 года назад +12

      Lol! You guys are funny! You're right, though. Who on earth would choose to return to slavery. How clueless was GW and every white person who acted as though enslavement was a favor they'd bestowed upon these people?

    • @Soozeeqz222
      @Soozeeqz222 4 года назад +8

      @John Buick The whole "We're doing you a favor" or "You're much better off here than where you came from", arguments are/were made to ease their conscience. Black America has ALWAYS faced stunning truths, and painful realizations of our country. All while still harboring high hopes and striving for better realities. The struggle is real and it continues.

    • @dawnpratt846
      @dawnpratt846 4 года назад +2

      @Demetrius Montgomery 😂😂

  • @r.michaelmarkham9994
    @r.michaelmarkham9994 5 лет назад +30

    All of your stories are good. This may be the best, and a story definitely worthy of being remembered.

  • @NJintheImagination
    @NJintheImagination 5 лет назад +3

    Outstanding! A complex story told without bias but with sympathy and respect. When I first clicked on I was fearing another rant about the hypocrisy of our founders but you told the story without pre or post judgement, letting the facts speak for themselves. Thank you.

  • @phalynwilliams4119
    @phalynwilliams4119 5 лет назад +8

    Thank you for this story. Thank you Ona for your courage.

  • @dougreid2351
    @dougreid2351 3 года назад +1

    Outstanding. A. Lincoln, an avid reader, may have noted this story on his own way into history that deserves to be remembered . . .

  • @kellymalcolm1398
    @kellymalcolm1398 5 лет назад +197

    Slavery is a sin of all humanity.
    And it still is today.

    • @evensgrey
      @evensgrey 5 лет назад +5

      @@georgeboehringer5530 Actually, he was famous for treating his slaves rather BADLY, even by the standards of the time. It was his neighbor Thomas Jefferson who was known for treating his slaves relatively well. While both men are known to have disliked slavery as an institution, Jefferson seems to have been the more vocal on that subject as well, and is known to have considered slavery to be morally corrosive for all involved.

    • @here_we_go_again2571
      @here_we_go_again2571 5 лет назад +5

      Islam condones slavery because
      its prophet, the WHITE (according
      to Hadith) Mohammad had Black
      slaves.
      He called them "Raisin Heads",
      and claimed that his Black slave
      looked like Satan.

    • @damonmet584
      @damonmet584 5 лет назад

      @@georgeboehringer5530 the father of your country had slaves?

    • @nancycox473
      @nancycox473 5 лет назад +6

      David Evens Jefferson couldn’t have disliked it that badly as he freely participated in this horrendous crime against humanity.

    • @AJ-sr3hl
      @AJ-sr3hl 5 лет назад

      ApplePie 2019
      Is this something you fabricated? If not, I would like to read it for myself. Where in Genesis? Throughout history white people prefer not to seek the truth they prefer to accept lies rather than the truth. I am not into accepting lies from a group of people who continually spread lies and hatred everywhere they go. I, myself search truth. I seek for wisdom, I seek for knowledge and I seek for understanding.

  • @robertjennings5558
    @robertjennings5558 3 года назад +2

    It is so very difficult to believe a lot of history because so much injustice was done. What response would a sane person expect asked the ridiculous question. I'm glad those times are in the past. Great story.

  • @gregoryrapier3021
    @gregoryrapier3021 5 лет назад +18

    I love history too and this video taught me something I didn't know. History is so important to know how we built this country and how freedom and liberty came about . Thanks for another great video.

  • @raypelling6440
    @raypelling6440 4 года назад +5

    Outstanding, as always.
    A great account of a brave woman who deserves to be remembered.
    William Penn and the Quakers were truly ahead of their time, considering other states.

  • @IntrepidFraidyCat
    @IntrepidFraidyCat 5 лет назад +153

    I've read several books about her. She was so brave! Not only to escape but from such a powerful family. I love 18th century history! Great video as usual. Thanks!

    • @whalesong999
      @whalesong999 5 лет назад +16

      I was surprisingly moved by her story. What a brave soul and honorable woman.

    • @redram5150
      @redram5150 5 лет назад +13

      Actual bravery. Not the way the word is used today to describe a woman not wearing makeup. Ona Judge risked her life for the thing many claim to want but have no understanding what it is

    • @rebeccalouisemccannon9494
      @rebeccalouisemccannon9494 5 лет назад +9

      I really like this video. Well done.

    • @danrowley6934
      @danrowley6934 5 лет назад +5

      Gee, several books on one person? I'm throughly impressed. U wouldn't get thru one let alone several. Splendid that you're a lover of history. More people are interested in "their" history. From the time they can comprehend, "anything" to when they are unable to do so. Bravo! 👍👍👍

    • @danrowley6934
      @danrowley6934 5 лет назад

      Let that hate fester within you. Soon you'll be a neurotic alcoholic & them maybe you'll blow your brains out! Tah.......

  • @theMemo-1
    @theMemo-1 5 лет назад +28

    I look forward to sharing this one with my Granddaughters this weekend! Thank you history guy!

  • @blessedveteran
    @blessedveteran Год назад +13

    With everything that is going on in America to try to erase this time in our history, I applaud you for doing this video. “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” - George Santayana

  • @billyrodriguez1878
    @billyrodriguez1878 Год назад +2

    History that deserves to be remembered!!! Outstanding as usual History Guy!!!!

  • @cadeere74
    @cadeere74 5 лет назад +38

    This story should be made into a movie

    • @cadeere74
      @cadeere74 4 года назад

      LovelovelyJesus me. The grit and flaws of real people that strive and create amazing moments in spite of their flaws are much better dramas than fairytale mush. Although with your user name I am guessing you prefer fairytale mush?

  • @stevelloyd9859
    @stevelloyd9859 5 лет назад +38

    You go Ona! Very interesting story! Thank you , once again for your diligence and and great work! Good day sir!

  • @akristen4971
    @akristen4971 5 лет назад +4

    Thank you for mentioning the book about Ona judge, never caught! She lived and was buried very close to where I work off Route 33 in Greenland New Hampshire near Portsmouth

  • @DeMonSpencer
    @DeMonSpencer 5 лет назад +58

    "Excuse me mam but would you kindly return to Virginia and resume your duties as a slave?" Did they really think that would work? Their sense of entitlement seemed to overshadow their common sense and intelligence.

    • @georgeboehringer5530
      @georgeboehringer5530 5 лет назад

      She would have been better off and could have Advance her career she was a skilled woman

    • @DeMonSpencer
      @DeMonSpencer 5 лет назад +2

      @@georgeboehringer5530 So career advancement was a big selling point for run away slaves? Great resume builder right. smh

    • @wilfordfraser6347
      @wilfordfraser6347 4 года назад +3

      That is the exact same thing I thought. A real WTF moment.

    • @reeb9016
      @reeb9016 4 года назад +3

      Funny how people today look back on history as if it were just like the present. As if things weren't culturally different. And then with this lack of understanding, make ridiculous comments.

    • @DeMonSpencer
      @DeMonSpencer 4 года назад +3

      @@reeb9016 What's ridiculous about my comment? Please be specific.

  • @FNFIHOCTW
    @FNFIHOCTW 5 лет назад +198

    Please don't think she had a comfortable life because they dressed their slaves well. Her body, the fruit of her labor, her time, and even her children did not belong to her.

    • @JJerseyGirl
      @JJerseyGirl 5 лет назад +14

      Master only dressed the slaves well was not to be talked about by their neighbors, George Washington was a poor man who married a rich woman.

    • @AsukaLangleyS02
      @AsukaLangleyS02 5 лет назад +4

      @@JJerseyGirl George Washington is the man!

    • @georgeboehringer5530
      @georgeboehringer5530 5 лет назад

      @@AsukaLangleyS02 I hate mixed race bastard Mongrel mutant children

    • @pyrodoll2422
      @pyrodoll2422 5 лет назад +1

      My Prayer for Justice I doubt anyone did think that.

    • @daveed467
      @daveed467 5 лет назад +2

      Any different than being a serf in tsaritsyn, or a machine operator in manchester?

  • @RobertBeerbohm
    @RobertBeerbohm 5 лет назад +4

    May I include my own "Thank You" as I had never heard of Ona Judge before. There is so much to be taught in the schools of the USA so future generations understand

  • @nanamzk
    @nanamzk 5 лет назад +3

    This is by far one The most inspired and triumphing episode I've watched. As always very informative, and full of historic details. Thank you History Guy

  • @deannilvalli6579
    @deannilvalli6579 5 лет назад +3

    It's great to hear a nuanced, detailed account, attemtping to be as fair and factual as possible, rather than the usual simplistic stories we are taught at school. The latter often omit what does not suit their worldview or politics, and gloss over their own evils while highlighting those of everyone else.

  • @elainebmack
    @elainebmack 5 лет назад +22

    Thank you once again History Guy. You present the facts in a straightforward manner, nothing more. It's great. Of course, I have subscribed, and look forward to much more.

  • @ckindig7741
    @ckindig7741 5 лет назад +4

    I'd never heard about this amazing woman. Thank you for sharing her story.

  • @LarS1963
    @LarS1963 5 лет назад +4

    For someone from outside the U.S., that was a very interesting piece of history. Thank you.

  • @mikemedia5421
    @mikemedia5421 5 лет назад +1

    I was born in Portsmouth, and still live here, thank you for your work!

  • @TheIamIrving
    @TheIamIrving 5 лет назад +69

    "Ona" or "Una" is an old gaelic/irish name (not that common nowadays). The surname "Judge" is very common in Ireland so I wouldn't be surprised if her father was Irish and not english.

    • @TheHistoryGuyChannel
      @TheHistoryGuyChannel  5 лет назад +30

      Yes, Andrew Judge was Irish.

    • @charlescameron6017
      @charlescameron6017 5 лет назад +3

      Oona O'Neill and Una Merkel.

    • @TheIamIrving
      @TheIamIrving 5 лет назад +2

      @@charlescameron6017 - I knew who Oona O'Neill was but I had to google Una Merkel. I recognized her photo.

    • @georgeboehringer5530
      @georgeboehringer5530 5 лет назад

      It's a low-grade of salt that mixes with the pepper

    • @monkiram
      @monkiram 5 лет назад +1

      @@georgeboehringer5530 I'm not sure what that's supposed to mean, but I hope I am misunderstanding you

  • @hypefine
    @hypefine 5 лет назад +5

    The depth of these videos is so refreshing. Although I knew this story the way it was relayed was very enjoyable. Another job well done. Thank you.

  • @ФилиппЛыков-д8е
    @ФилиппЛыков-д8е 5 лет назад +9

    "We found her, sir." "You mean Judge?" "Yes, your Ona."

  • @FeedScrn
    @FeedScrn 4 года назад

    Amazing story - with great old historical maps, pictures / paintings, and newspaper clippings.... It paints a pretty complete picture.... Thanks.

  • @aarondesrochers3890
    @aarondesrochers3890 5 лет назад +3

    Your telling of Ona's story touched me. Thank you.

  • @jonesjack6088
    @jonesjack6088 5 лет назад +29

    I always bring up her case when people go on and on about the "perfect" Washington. Washington was a rich man in the 18th century trying to protect his property. Its not a pleasant fact but historical facts are often not.

    • @AsukaLangleyS02
      @AsukaLangleyS02 5 лет назад +7

      Washington accomplished more in his life than you could ever do with a 1000 lives

    • @jonesjack6088
      @jonesjack6088 5 лет назад +4

      Most defiantly but you have to look at the entire person and not just the parts that are pleasant to remember

    • @mbellizia75
      @mbellizia75 5 лет назад +4

      So what's the fascinatiom with trying to knock people down? Was someone under the impression he was a supernatural figure beyond fault? Do you understand historical context ? It's easy to sit in your underwear, eating Cheetos, judging heroes from 200 years ago against modern values and morals.
      Anyhow, regale us with great tales of your deeds and accomplishments..

    • @cdreid99999
      @cdreid99999 4 года назад

      Also not a hige fan of democracy or the working classes, who had hamilton as his political standin. Hamilton wanted an american aristocracy and did everything he could to dilute democracy.

    • @jandrews6254
      @jandrews6254 4 года назад

      So, you going to burn your bible? Slavery was fine back then, perfectly acceptable same as stoning your daughter if her husband finds her to not be a virgin on the wedding night.

  • @renatagross5959
    @renatagross5959 5 лет назад +10

    Thank you for your exciting description of the evolution of slavery in America. I was shocked to find that Ona was ASKED if she Wanted to return to slavery & that her declination was accepted .

  • @lboogie1454
    @lboogie1454 5 лет назад

    Thank you for the history lesson. Freedom is priceless!! Our family watch this at dinner so that this Ona story in history will continue to be told.

  • @richardmourdock2719
    @richardmourdock2719 5 лет назад +24

    Truly a great episode H.G. I'm really surprised this story isn't better known. It would make a great mini-series..... Thanks for your great work in educating so many of our past.. both its finer moments and in tales like this one.

    • @reneeknight1028
      @reneeknight1028 5 лет назад +1

      Are you really surprised? I'm not

    • @TorianTammas
      @TorianTammas 5 лет назад

      Richard - This is a man who was made into a hero. Some people pretend that such people are to be admired. Well so they ignore what these people did what was not awesome but horrible.

  • @rcs1578
    @rcs1578 5 лет назад +1

    Thank you for this most enlightening story about Ona Judge. It also provides an interesting observation into the mindset of George Washington. While considered the "father" of this great country, he also had his shortcomings... Keep up the good work!

  • @lindaglover7194
    @lindaglover7194 5 лет назад +6

    My mother's name was Ona. She too was a seamstress. But she was English and Irish. She would have done the same if she were in the other Ona's situation. Maybe the names we are given have something to do with the way we act. Thank you for this information. Not much is known about people with the name Ona.

  • @sarjim4381
    @sarjim4381 5 лет назад +38

    By about 1800 it became nearly impossible to reclaim slaves the had fled to New England. There was a groundswell of opinion against slavery in states like New Hampshire, and an even greater resistance to having any now free slaves being removed by force. Even when slave recovery agents arrived with warrants to seize the slave, no one in local law enforcement would cooperate. In some case, the recovery agent himself would be arrested and thrown in jail, allowing the slave he was seeking to flee. One of the reasons the Underground Railroad worked was the collusion of local authorities with the "conductors ' of the railroad to move slaves north to free states and Canada. Ohio became a hotbed of opposition to slavery and support of the railroad. It was also the main route across Lake Erie to Canada for former slaves wanting to leave the country.
    Southerners were initially baffled by this. Slaves were their property, and why would another state refuse to help return their property? It was looked at then much as a stolen car today, where other state cooperate to recover the property. I obviously don't believe that slaves really were property, but the stolen car analogy is used to show how slave owners viewed the situation. The trickle of 1805 turned into a flood by 1850 with over 100,000 slaves successfully fleeing north to freedom. Southerners believed that this was going to drain the South of all its labor when even the federal government refused to help. Seeing the ruin of the plantation economy not far around the corner, the Underground Railroad was one of the proximate causes of the Southern states decision to secede and go to war if it came to that.

    • @scottgoodman8993
      @scottgoodman8993 5 лет назад +6

      Sar Jim: Parts of central Ohio like Xenia and most of northern Ohio towards Cleveland (which was settled by former New Englanders) were a hotbed of opposition to slavery. Southern Ohio and western Ohio, especially Dayton, Cincinnati, Chillicothe, Portsmouth, and Marietta were hotbeds of confederate sympathizers and copperheads. Recall Valandinham. Those areas were largely settled from Virginians, Kentuckians and Carolinians. Colored folk were not welcome there.

    • @unclesmrgol
      @unclesmrgol 5 лет назад +8

      Consider that the Taney Court converted all States into Slave States in its decision regarding Dred Scott. There were no longer any Free States or any states rights with regard to slavery under our Constitution, all States were required to treat black persons as property. Further, blacks had no possibility of Citizenship by that same decision. The South had won completely, and had won Constitutionally. Even Abraham Lincoln, in his inaugural address, indicated the impossibility of him doing anything to change this. But then the South gave Lincoln the opening he needed under the Constitution -- it rose in insurrection against the United States because of the "last gasp" of those in the once-Free States who detested slavery. The rest is history, with the various Articles of Secession from the traitor States and the Constitution of the Confederate States of America giving the lie to the Lost Cause. Furthermore, the Fugitive Slave Act was the first instance of a civil forfeiture statute -- more than a few Conductors on the Underground Railroad lost their property in Federal Court. It was a dangerous occupation, and required great bravery and personal sacrifice.

    • @lynnwood7205
      @lynnwood7205 5 лет назад +2

      N
      The counties of Northern states were required by the fugitive slave act to pay the expense of the return of the slave to the owners location.
      Remember that then the primacy of government was local. The cost to the county was directly an assessment against the land and property owners of that county. And then there was the matter of the slave hunters, who would receive payment for transit and transport back to the slave owner while also receiving a recovery bounty from the owner.
      These payments were enforceable in Federal court. You can see the potential for northern resentment.

    • @BillB23
      @BillB23 5 лет назад +1

      The Fugitive Slave Act was also nullified in part by juries. If an instance came to court the jurors like as not exercised their right to judge the law as well as the defendant. These days many judges will instruct a jury (contrary to at least 2 Supreme Court rulings) that one must judge by the letter of the law, regardless of the justice of that law.

    • @michaelbrennan6123
      @michaelbrennan6123 5 лет назад +3

      Sar Jim as I’m sure you know the reason many went to Canada was that by the Constitution, states were obligated to return slaves if caught. Canada being part of the British Empire, was not required to return fugitive slaves.

  • @deborahmccoy3837
    @deborahmccoy3837 5 лет назад +3

    What a courageous and magnificent person; that if I could meet someone in forgotten history I would luv to meet her.

  • @shellyb7919
    @shellyb7919 4 года назад +1

    THANK YOU....NEVER HEARD this part of Washington/American history.... "COMPLETE FREEDOM" was her only motive~her life although hard "was infinitely superior to being a slave." "I am free and trust made a child of God"....BEAUTIFUL💪🏾💯🙏🏾

  • @johne7100
    @johne7100 5 лет назад +15

    A very sad story, especially in she and her daughters living in poverty and her daughters dying before her. A poor reflection on the ruling classes of the time.

    • @georgeboehringer5530
      @georgeboehringer5530 5 лет назад +1

      The Washington family was the finest family in America they invested a lot in her and she betrayed them by running off

    • @ella17734
      @ella17734 4 года назад

      The " ruling class" of today isn't any better.

  • @msfredijr
    @msfredijr 5 лет назад +8

    I love the description of her hair; “big and bushy very black hair”. 🌹

  • @davidspiller7977
    @davidspiller7977 5 лет назад +47

    Please do the Tulsa Riots of 1921. No one knows about them because the city of Tulsa covered them up, but I think it's definately worth telling.

    • @RolloTonéBrownTown
      @RolloTonéBrownTown 2 года назад

      Never heard of it

    • @markthomas6703
      @markthomas6703 Год назад +1

      It's not covered up. In fact it's an overhyped anti-White screed

    • @andreabelinda1355
      @andreabelinda1355 Год назад +1

      Yes, that was the worse riot I've ever read about. I was quite affected by it for a few days. All because the white people were jealous of the blacks getting ahead of them. 🥀

  • @marymoriarity2555
    @marymoriarity2555 5 лет назад

    Thank you History Guy for your fascinating presentations on history. You should be in regular television. Your presentations are impeccably researched.

  • @powderriver2424
    @powderriver2424 5 лет назад +125

    History is so interesting if people knew more of it then maybe we would have more understanding of our condition vs. than what’s being currently played out every day.

    • @aliaguerin1266
      @aliaguerin1266 5 лет назад

      I know about youre history . I really do know.

    • @nickv1008
      @nickv1008 5 лет назад +2

      @DefinitelyNotDan history is written for those who suffered through it, so suffering is made acceptable and expected. History doesn't dwell on those who caused the suffering. The first ship to sell slaves to the British colonists in new England, The sugar and tobacco industry that profited, the new England ship owners who traded the rum for African slaves, and profited from the slaves they sold to the southern elite, the plantation owners, black and white, who profited from slave labor. And the banks and financial institutions who made that all possible. And still do.

    • @oldpipe6146
      @oldpipe6146 5 лет назад +1

      Or why we kneel

  • @edschermer
    @edschermer 5 лет назад +2

    Thank you presenting the facts while walking the delicate line avoiding political commentary. Well done as always!

  • @n539rv
    @n539rv 5 лет назад +41

    And we think life is complicated today......

    • @bryanst.martin7134
      @bryanst.martin7134 5 лет назад +4

      Life gets more complicated every day. Ignorance makes one think otherwise.

    • @infinitedreaming222
      @infinitedreaming222 5 лет назад +2

      Life is just as complicated. In Florida 11 people were released from false charges after a deputy named Zachary Wester was found to have planted meth on them during traffic stops. 119 cases were dropped after he was found out and arrested.
      This man ruined lives, people lost custody of their kids, and were put into bondage UNJUSTLY. Your freedom can easily be snatched by someone's devilish mindset.
      Nothing has changed

  • @shawngilliland243
    @shawngilliland243 5 лет назад

    Wow - another superb presentation of history that I hadn't known, and history that deserves to be remembered. Glad that she escaped to freedom. Laws regarding slaves were so varied - no wonder there had to be a civil war and an Amendment to the US Constitution to sort out that unbelievable mess!

  • @kathykaura7219
    @kathykaura7219 5 лет назад +6

    Beautiful ending.....I love her spirit.

  • @gregparrott
    @gregparrott 5 лет назад +1

    Yet another stellar story - from 'The History Guy'!

  • @persebra
    @persebra 5 лет назад +13

    People interested in this story needs to read or listen to "Black Count: Glory, Revolution, Betrayal, and the Real Count of Monte Cristo" a Pulitzer prize-winning biographical book of Gen. Alexandre (Alex) Dumas, of THAT Dumas family. He wasn't a runaway slave, and it takes place on another continent. but its sooooo f-ing good! he is sho-nuff worth being remembered.
    Actually, everybody needs to read or listen to this book.

    • @erikrungemadsen2081
      @erikrungemadsen2081 4 года назад

      Both him and his son where amazing people. I also love the amazing story of Abram Petrovich Gannibal, Peter the Greats black godson.

  • @marymoriarity2555
    @marymoriarity2555 5 лет назад

    Excellent episode. Logically I knew Washington had salves to run his plantation. However never was mentioned in school. The fact he pursued One former slave into New Hampshire surprised me. Indeed shocked me.

  • @BillB23
    @BillB23 5 лет назад +8

    That ranks up with the tale(s) of Sally Hemmings. Thanks for this snippet from the days of the founders.

  • @janehastie3464
    @janehastie3464 Год назад

    Thank you for the presentation of Ona Judge. One Judhe was a remarkable, talented woman who was devoted to her family. It was sad and tragic for the United States that George Washington was even considered for the office of President because he was committed to maintaining the violence, brutality, and greediness of slavery and the Fugitive Slave Law. When he was the Supreme Command of the Continental forces during the American Revolutionary War, he lost seven battles because he did not develop military tactics and strategies and did not train the American soldiers.

  • @Artist6135
    @Artist6135 5 лет назад +22

    That was GREAT!!! Thank you for bringing this story to us!! ❤️

  • @shoshonnaissachar5927
    @shoshonnaissachar5927 5 лет назад +2

    Excellent! How very interesting. Such a different time from our own with different struggles. Good for Ona Judge.

  • @krokodyl1927
    @krokodyl1927 4 года назад +4

    It is so sad that Ona’s husband & all her children predeceased her. 😢
    And good to know that she remained free despite being of fugitive status by stupid laws.

  • @MervynPartin
    @MervynPartin 5 лет назад +1

    I wish the History Guy had been one of my school teachers. He has a passion that was sadly lacking in the teachers of my school. All we ever got was an instruction to learn dates, false heroes (eg. Clive of India) and with none of the TRUE background of events that have led to where we are today.

  • @goofyiest
    @goofyiest 5 лет назад +8

    WOW. The founding fathers were a complex bunch. "Free slaves" after it won't inconvenience my house. Well, they fought for a set of ideals that were eventually recognized...ideals that even they did not totally embrace.

    • @rbnhd1976
      @rbnhd1976 5 лет назад +2

      God blessed a broken road.. God bless Ona Judge, May we continue forward to freedom as free may be, for all men and women.

  • @Geoduck.
    @Geoduck. 5 лет назад

    Once in awhile not often I learn something important. This was one of those times. What an important part of American history. I will remember Ona Judge.

  • @JohnDoe-tx8lq
    @JohnDoe-tx8lq 5 лет назад +6

    It's ironic/tragic that she had all that knowledge & experiance of working for a household to highest standards, yet didn't have the opportunity of using those very skills in a normal, paid job as a Maid.

    • @georgeboehringer5530
      @georgeboehringer5530 5 лет назад

      I would be pissed off too if I had a valuable Smith just had to run off after treating her like a family member

    • @georgeboehringer5530
      @georgeboehringer5530 5 лет назад

      @11STARFIRE they lived in the same house they have the same last name help raise the kids dispatch at family members than slaves are apparently members

    • @georgeboehringer5530
      @georgeboehringer5530 5 лет назад

      @11STARFIRE saying that all slave owners were bad people it's like saying all pet owners are bad people

    • @georgeboehringer5530
      @georgeboehringer5530 5 лет назад +1

      @11STARFIRE owning slaves was not dirty business like dealing in slaves. Some Masters were responsible and took good care of their property

  • @danbreyfogle8486
    @danbreyfogle8486 5 лет назад +1

    Another bit of history that we were not taught in school, oh and I attended school in the 1950's and mid 1960's when we did study American history. I guess memorizing names, dates, and places was far more important that this bit of history. NOT, this was a great video, well told, and no detectable bias or commentary, just the facts, GREAT JOB History Guy and Gal...

  • @williamhill7312
    @williamhill7312 5 лет назад +3

    Great story about a person I had never heard of! Wow, this stuff is amazing

  • @MrXierre
    @MrXierre 5 лет назад

    I love your channel so much . I’ve never actually enjoyed history much until my early twenties . You make even the most minute details enthralling

  • @halfcantan1208
    @halfcantan1208 5 лет назад +3

    I enjoy all your shows but this is one the be best thank you

  • @fuzzball57
    @fuzzball57 5 лет назад +1

    THANK YOU! THIS STORY WAS AWESOME, A TOTAL DELIGHT..... YOUR CHANNEL COMES UP WITH SOME OF THE GREATEST STORIES THAT I HAVE EVER HEARD.

  • @jamesparker4471
    @jamesparker4471 5 лет назад +13

    I actually heard of her before thought she was from the under ground rail road . Thanks for the whole story.

    • @BillB23
      @BillB23 5 лет назад +5

      The underground railroad was a product of 19th century abolitionists. It's interesting to note that the Fugitive Slave Act signed by Washington was often nullified by juries that refused to convict even though the defendant was legally guilty. It is little known that jurors have the right and the duty to judge both the defendant and the law with witch the defendant was charged. Judges will tell juries (illegally and unconstitutionally) that they must judge strictly according to the law. There are Supreme Court decisions that say otherwise.

    • @sandracaldwellcooper9289
      @sandracaldwellcooper9289 5 лет назад +2

      @@BillB23 Didn't know that. Are you a student of the Law?? Fascinating! You know then that the Law like the Bible was written and enforced by Man and usually by the ones who are and were currently in power. The so called "jury of your peers" has actually never been true. Thank you for your article. It was illuminating and quite apparently true. I just wanted to add to it.

  • @UsherLinder
    @UsherLinder 5 лет назад

    Fascinating! All of the tangled web of law and family, custom and belief, that wove this tale. Thank you very much!

  • @pmporter46221
    @pmporter46221 5 лет назад +4

    What an AMAZING Woman !!! God bless you Ona

  • @kevinlittell4009
    @kevinlittell4009 5 лет назад +1

    "I died free"....words to live by and to be remembered!

  • @us3rsearch
    @us3rsearch 5 лет назад +3

    Never knew this, thank you for your work.

  • @edenevolution451
    @edenevolution451 5 лет назад +2

    Congratulations ONA JUDGE!!! A HUGE INSPIRATION YOU ARE.

  • @MsStorm351
    @MsStorm351 5 лет назад +4

    Bravo Ona 😇 !! What a life , George and Martha........shame on you ✅ Thank you once again History Guy !!

  • @marlenajohnson372
    @marlenajohnson372 5 лет назад +1

    Thk you for sharing this wonderful bit of History about a slave girl who sought freedom over comfort!

  • @dmyers724
    @dmyers724 5 лет назад +8

    I really appreciate your show thank you so much

  • @KplusU
    @KplusU 5 лет назад +1

    Thank you, History Guy and Gal.

  • @W.U.A.R.U
    @W.U.A.R.U 5 лет назад +3

    Wow. Thank you. I had never heard of her before.

  • @hightea2546
    @hightea2546 5 лет назад +2

    Thank you for bringing to light 💡 so many things that I’ve never heard most enlightening,,, keep up the good good work

  • @PharmerJohn1
    @PharmerJohn1 5 лет назад +12

    Well done, sir. Even her name is badass! ONA JUDGE

    • @here_we_go_again2571
      @here_we_go_again2571 5 лет назад +1

      Ona/Una is Irish Gaelic for "First"
      or "One". "Judge" is a common
      Irish sur-name

    • @here_we_go_again2571
      @here_we_go_again2571 5 лет назад

      @Ebony Panther
      Could be. :)
      (I guess we will never know)

  • @lyndadoerner5341
    @lyndadoerner5341 4 года назад

    Thank you, very good account of more history that most definitely needs to be remembered!

  • @ClaytonCountyHistoryHound
    @ClaytonCountyHistoryHound 5 лет назад +3

    What an amazing story. Thank you for sharing and take care.

  • @jamesyates9311
    @jamesyates9311 5 лет назад +1

    It seems like no one watched the whole video because no one has mentioned that Washington freed the slaves he could free. That does not sound like someone who loves slavery. Yes he had faults, but none of us are perfect either. He lived in a time when slavery was accepted by most respected people, so how can we judge a man by our enlighten standards when he didn't live in our time. Let's look at all he accomplished for our nation along with his mistakes and be greatful he did so many good things for us.
    As a history teacher I love you videos Historyguy. You tell it as it was without spinning the truth to fit a personal point of view. Well done sir. And keep the good work.

    • @FightsRightsAlways
      @FightsRightsAlways 2 года назад

      Then why was he fighting so hard to get one slave back??

  • @bigblue6917
    @bigblue6917 5 лет назад +16

    Once again you present us with a nugget of history to which I thank you.
    You have to wonder how people like him and Thomas Jefferson can proclaim all men are born equal yet at the same time keep slaves. And not just them. If you go back several hundred years even the pope kept slaves. But there is an old northern English saying that "there's nowt as queer as folk (there is nothing as strange as people) sums it up.

    • @greggi47
      @greggi47 5 лет назад +2

      Despite arguments against slavery, there were religious and economic forces that slave owners lived with whatever they might have wanted to achieve as changes in the situation. The kidnapped and enslaved Africans were seen as a different sort of humans, perhaps cursed to be in bondage, certainly not "civilized" according to standards of the day. Were buyers and owners aware at all of the history of the West African societies that the people were stolen from, or the fact that so many were Muslims, adherents of a sophisticated religion?

    • @kennethjames4724
      @kennethjames4724 5 лет назад +1

      Don't wonder. Just don't interject 21st century morality into the 18th century. Different times - different mores. The Coca-Cola generation puffs itself up and thinks it is so superior to those who lived before them. When Spain came to the New World they themselves had been under 800 years of Moorish rule. All they knew was war. And their own customs didn't allow everyone to share in the wealth their father left - the oldest got everything. Those left out came to the New World for God, Gold, and Glory. When they couldn't subjugate the natives as slaves, clergymen who were advocates of the native population had no problem with Spaniards keeping blacks as slaves.

    • @mikwhsjs7972
      @mikwhsjs7972 5 лет назад

      Can you say hypocrite.

  • @elainesmith7512
    @elainesmith7512 5 лет назад +2

    Thank you so much, " The History Guy", for telling us the TRUTH about REAL American history!