Resurrecting Mother Washington: The Dissonance of Washington’s Youth

Summary

Powerful messages concerning ideal gender roles feature prominently, if latently, in Washington biographies. Most contemporary narratives suggest that George succeeded despite the "selfish" efforts of his widowed mother. Archaeological investigations at Washington’s childhood home underscore the dissonance between the material culture of his youth and popular stories about his upbringing. This site was wrested from strip mall development thanks to the persistent efforts of preservationists. Archaeological investigations supported by The George Washington Foundation were designed to discover the location of the remains of Washington’s original boyhood home. However, these excavations have accomplished something far more significant: they are producing copious evidence that demonstrate adroit management of the household and plantation by mother Washington. Despite these discoveries, narratives that dismiss mother Washington’s efforts not only persist, but continue to thrive; the legacy of a powerful, patriarchal political environment.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 83rd Annual Meeting, Washington, DC (2018)

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 18812