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What was George Washington's attitude towards slavery?
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For the first 40 years of his life, Washington does not seem to have had any qualms about the institution of slavery. He was raised in a very stratified society, and as a child and a young man he seems to have taken slavery for granted. However, the Revolutionary War caused him to re-examine and change his mind about the issue. From the end of the Revolution until his death 16 years later, he thought about various ways to emancipate his own slaves and often stated that he would support legislative efforts to bring about slavery's gradual abolition. In the end, disappointed that Virginia had not followed states to the north in taking such steps, and finding that his schemes for liberating his own slaves had come to nought, he used his Will to set an example and to take what steps he could to free those slaves over whom he had control.
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