The Story Of Ona Judge Staines Told - 1590 Words

The story of Ona Judge Staines told by Erica Armstrong Dunbar, expands the knowledge of the new nation’s stance on slavery to the modern American. As the story goes on, we learn the different views of the states and how they differ from the north to the south. Ona Judge’s life gives us personal insight on the struggles of being a slave in the new nation. On July 4, 1776, Americans cheered with joy and celebrated independence. The spilt from England proved Americans had what it takes to govern their own country. The American people were finally free, or at least the majority were free. The slaves of the new nation saw no change, and no freedom. They still lived their lives as property in human bondage. The location and the family the†¦show more content†¦Vernon and travel to the North where the temporary capitol would reside. The couple had to make a decision of which slaves would come to live in the north. Seven slaves would make the journey with the Washington ’s, one of them being 16-year-old Ona Judge. They had to be careful with who they chose and the chosen had to be the most trusted slaves. The north was occupied with much more progressive people than the south. Slavery was still existent, but it was being questioned in many American minds. Washington was hesitant to leave, â€Å"Fear, regret, and concern spilled onto the pages of the president’s diary.† The time finally came for the the Washington’s and their entourage to leave. This day would’ve been extremely hard for not only the President and First Lady, but for the slaves who’s families were being torn apart. This was an inevitable event for slaves all around the new nation. No matter what family you were owned by, even the best of families tore slave families apart. To the owners they did not see their slaves lives as family, it was only business and money. The day they left for New York, Betty would have lost not only her daughter Ona , but also her son Austin. The family would have mourned together not knowing when or if they ll ever see each other again, which was a hard reality for all slaves in the nation. The travel to New York first stopped in the City of Brotherly Love. This would be