Never Caught: The Washingtons’ Relentless Pursuit of Their Runaway Slave

Chapter 4 opens with the Washingtons and their enslaved Black workforce returning to Mount Vernon for several months before relocating to Philadelphia, which was now the nation’s capital. Dunbar speculates about how Judge must have felt returning to the South after spending so much time in the North, engaging with free Black people and a different, more urban way of life: “Her eyes would miss the spotting of free Black men and women in the marketplace, and her ears longed for discreet conversations about black freedom” (50).

While the Washingtons move, statesmen argue over the location of a “‘Federal City’ that was separate and apart from any other city or state government” (52). A compromise ensures the “Federal City” will be close to Virginia—something the Washingtons wanted, though they never lived there as first family.

Unhappy with the service of the white indentured servants they employed in New York, the Washingtons bring additional enslaved Black workers with them to Philadelphia. Six of the seven Black individuals brought to New York also accompany them to the new capital. Dunbar describes the new house in Philadelphia, explaining the décor, living arrangements, and social activities of the Washingtons.