1767-1768: Washington purchases William Lee for £61 in 1767 via a promissory note. He takes possession of Lee in 1768. Lee is assigned to household work.

1775: Lee travels to Washington’s headquarters in Cambridge, Massachusetts. As valet, he manages the general’s equipment, helps him bathe and dress, and ties the ribbon around his hair each morning.

William Lee accompanies Washington everywhere, from encampments to battlefields.

In Philadelphia, he marries Margaret Thomas, a free black woman.

1783: By war’s end, Lee is famous due to his association with the victorious general.

1799: Washington uses his will to free William Lee immediately, praising his “faithful services during the Revolution.”

Lee remains at Mount Vernon as a free man.

1811: William Lee dies. He is likely buried on the grounds of Mount Vernon.

1748: James is born into slavery in Virginia. He is assigned as manservant to William Armistead, Jr., when both are children. He learns to read and write in English and French.

1775: General Washington forbids African Americans from serving in the Continental Army. He later changes his mind due to manpower shortages.

1781: James joins the Continental forces under the Marquis de Lafayette. As a spy, he poses as an enslaved man who had run away to intercept British intelligence, first from Benedict Arnold and later from General Cornwallis.

Before the battle of Yorktown, James provides crucial details of British troop movements.

1783: An act of the Virginia Assembly frees certain enslaved men who fought for the American cause. James is not freed because he is considered a spy, not a soldier.

He petitions the legislature for his freedom.

1787: A letter of support from the Marquis de Lafayette helps James secure his liberty. He takes the surname Lafayette in tribute.

1818: As a veteran, James Lafayette begins collecting a pension. He lives on a 40-acre farm in Virginia with his family.

1824: During the Marquis de Lafayette’s tour of America, the Frenchman reportedly recognizes his former spy in a crowd and embraces him.

George Washington’s views on slavery changed during the Revolutionary War.

Why?

• He saw 5,000 black soldiers fight bravely for the American cause.
• Abolitionist aides (such as the Marquis de Lafayette, John Laurens, and Alexander Hamilton) exposed him to moral arguments against slavery.
• His plantation grew less profitable, leading him to question the economic value of slavery.

After the war, Washington grew critical of slavery and conflicted about being a slaveowner. He eventually used his will to emancipate the enslaved people he owned.

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