Episode 2: Laboring

Episode 2: “Laboring”

As an overseer, Davy Gray was entrusted by George Washington with the management of the enslaved laborers on Dogue Run Farm. His weekly reports to Washington revealed progress toward Washington’s goal of transforming Mount Vernon into a model of British agriculture. But Gray was also enslaved, just like the men, women, and children he oversaw. In this episode, we explore Gray’s complicated story to learn about the daily labor of Mount Vernon’s enslaved community and Washington’s relentless quest to make his plantation into a self-sustaining enterprise.

Featuring:

• Jessie MacLeod, Associate Curator, George Washington’s Mount Vernon
• Thomas Reinhart, Director of Preservation, George Washington’s Mount Vernon
• Mary V. Thompson, Research Historian, Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington
• Dr. Kelley Fanto Deetz, Director of Collections and Visitor Engagement, Stratford Hall Plantation, and Director of Education and Historic Interpretation, Virginia’s Executive Mansion
• Dr. Lorena Walsh, Research Historian Emerita, Colonial Williamsburg
• Dr. Bruce Ragsdale, Independent Scholar and former Director of the Federal Judicial History Office

Full transcripts, show notes, and bibliographies available at www.georgewashingtonpodcast.com.