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Runaway: How a Slave Defied America’s First President
In the mid-1790s, President George Washington had well over 200 black slaves toiling for him in his home and on his sprawling Virginia plantation. Runaway introduces us to the only one of those enchained people to escape and tell her story. Ona Judge was the young personal attendant to Martha Washington. On a spring evening in 1796, she slipped out of the president's home, throwing her master and mistress into a consternation that lingered for years. Why had Ona fled, and where had she gone? Join Harper's and New York Times Magazine contributor Bill Donahue as he traces the flight of America's most intriguing fugitive slave.
Journalist Bill Donahue has written for Wired , The New York Times Magazine , Playboy , The Atlantic , Runner’s World , The New Yorker , and Harper’s . In reporting stories from over 20 countries, he has searched for fallen meteorites in the Sahara Desert, biked the streets of Shanghai, snuck into Manuel Noriega’s abandoned beach house in Panama, and taste-tested moonshine in the snowy Caucasus mountains of Georgia. He is the author of The Secret World of Saints , an e-book about the Catholic Church and its saintmaking process, and his work has been reprinted in Best American Sports Writing , Best American Travel Writing , and many other anthologies. He lives in rural New Hampshire, where he runs the Scriven Arts Colony.
Cover Design by Kerry Ellis.
Journalist Bill Donahue has written for Wired , The New York Times Magazine , Playboy , The Atlantic , Runner’s World , The New Yorker , and Harper’s . In reporting stories from over 20 countries, he has searched for fallen meteorites in the Sahara Desert, biked the streets of Shanghai, snuck into Manuel Noriega’s abandoned beach house in Panama, and taste-tested moonshine in the snowy Caucasus mountains of Georgia. He is the author of The Secret World of Saints , an e-book about the Catholic Church and its saintmaking process, and his work has been reprinted in Best American Sports Writing , Best American Travel Writing , and many other anthologies. He lives in rural New Hampshire, where he runs the Scriven Arts Colony.
Cover Design by Kerry Ellis.
- GenresHistoryNonfiction
32 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 30, 2016
117 people are currently reading
58 people want to read
About the author
Bill Donahue
71 books9 followersBill Donahue is an associate professor at Trinity International University and a popular conference speaker. The author of more than a dozen books with sales over 550,000 copies, he is former director of leadership development and group life for the Willow Creek Community Church and Association. He lives in Illinois.
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
August 29, 2016
This was a very short book (31 pages), so I won't belabor the review. Hard to think of President Washington as as slave owner. He was in many ways an inspirational leader. But, ethically, he must have been reprehensible. It is utterly unimaginable to me how any human being can find any sufficient justification in his or her mind to own another human being. Some apologists say that back in the 18th century white people did not consider the Africans stolen from their homeland to be human beings. That is bullshit. I believe the only justification any slave owner really felt was that slaves increased their wealth, worked without being paid, gave them sex on demand, and could not refuse for fear of being beaten, killed, or worse.
Ona Staines, Martha Washington's personal house-slave took matters into her own hands and slipped out of captivity in the night, making her way up north. I will not spoil the book by detailing her exploits or how things turned out. I will say that in my opinion reading about slavery in America should be required of all citizens. We must understand where we came from to understand where we are, and how we can improve.
Ona Staines, Martha Washington's personal house-slave took matters into her own hands and slipped out of captivity in the night, making her way up north. I will not spoil the book by detailing her exploits or how things turned out. I will say that in my opinion reading about slavery in America should be required of all citizens. We must understand where we came from to understand where we are, and how we can improve.
April 8, 2021
It’s a challenging thing to write about a person whose life revolved around not being noticed, written about, even seen. Donahue uses a mostly standard journalism/historian approach, relying on what is known and carefully supposing only a few things.
The problem is, that doesn’t provide much depth for a story that deserves more depth, challenging as it is to provide that. Donahue’s book is breath-takingly short and feels more like an extended article than a book.
I found Never Caught — another book about Oney Judge — presented a more satisfying approach to telling this type of history. The historian needs to rely heavily on contextual understanding and more thoughtful supposition than would be common in a book about someone whose life has left an abundance of evidence (someone like, say, George Washington).
This is an important story — not just for understanding George and Martha Washington, but for understanding the role of slavery in shaping the lives of Americans. And Donahue makes a good start at that. But for me, I just wanted more depth.
The problem is, that doesn’t provide much depth for a story that deserves more depth, challenging as it is to provide that. Donahue’s book is breath-takingly short and feels more like an extended article than a book.
I found Never Caught — another book about Oney Judge — presented a more satisfying approach to telling this type of history. The historian needs to rely heavily on contextual understanding and more thoughtful supposition than would be common in a book about someone whose life has left an abundance of evidence (someone like, say, George Washington).
This is an important story — not just for understanding George and Martha Washington, but for understanding the role of slavery in shaping the lives of Americans. And Donahue makes a good start at that. But for me, I just wanted more depth.
October 31, 2016
A different view of our first president
I wish this was a longer book. Sadly, there's not much recorded about Ona Judge, so this is a very short story. I think that most Americans have an idealistic opinion of George Washington, and Donahue gives us a picture of him that reveals how flawed he was. Yes, he was a great man, but he also tried to circumvent the law when it came to getting back a runaway slave. He treated his slaves kindly, and he thought that the sale of human beings was wrong (so he would not sell his slaves), but neither would he free them.
I wish this was a longer book. Sadly, there's not much recorded about Ona Judge, so this is a very short story. I think that most Americans have an idealistic opinion of George Washington, and Donahue gives us a picture of him that reveals how flawed he was. Yes, he was a great man, but he also tried to circumvent the law when it came to getting back a runaway slave. He treated his slaves kindly, and he thought that the sale of human beings was wrong (so he would not sell his slaves), but neither would he free them.
August 30, 2016
I thought it would be more than what it was.
December 29, 2021
This is a very short story (Kindle Singles) about Ona Judge, a young woman enslaved by George Washington and his wife Martha. Ona was a dowery slave brought into the marriage by Martha Washington. Ona knew that George did not have long to live and feared that she would not be manumitted as per George's will but be passed onto a member of Martha's family. With a bleak outlook in life, Ona managed to run away to freedom in the north, constantly watching over her shoulder knowing that George was attempting to re-enslave her.
A quick read but a worthy telling of Ona Judge and her escape to freedom. There are other books that go into more detail about Ona such as Never Caught: The Washingtons' Relentless Pursuit of Their Runaway Slave, Ona Judge by Erica Armstrong Dunbar that would be a good follow up to this short story.
A quick read but a worthy telling of Ona Judge and her escape to freedom. There are other books that go into more detail about Ona such as Never Caught: The Washingtons' Relentless Pursuit of Their Runaway Slave, Ona Judge by Erica Armstrong Dunbar that would be a good follow up to this short story.
April 11, 2020
Short but not so sweet. It is hard to think of George Washington as the bitter man this book relates, regarding his runaway slave. Nevertheless, it is certainly an interesting perspective as most books and accounts about escaped slaves I have read were about those who were badly treated, abused at best. In this case, is sounds like she was treated well by George and Martha Washington, like their own child in some respects, but she still yearned for freedom! That says it all! All humankind -and animals for that matter - yearn for freedom of choice, life style and speech. It has taken this country FAR to long to finally come to that, and I am pretty sure that some people are not there yet, at heart.
November 9, 2019
This book was quite shorter than I expected, but it was interesting. This historical story gives a small but interesting look into the actual event of Martha Washington's lady's maid running away in order to seek her freedom. I found the insight to George Washington's hypocritical ways regarding his thoughts on slavery to be similar to politicos of today. He wanted to "abolish" slavery as long as it didn't affect him or his slaves. !!
July 18, 2017
This was a short read, but I enjoyed the details given in the book. It was interesting to read about George Washington's secret search to find the slave and the opinions that he and his wife held regarding slavery. It took very little time to read.
September 9, 2017
Narrative was poorly supported
While it's an interesting account of Ona Judge, the author invested more energy ins condemnation of the Washington family than in covering Ona. He was condescending to her even at points. Not really worth the read.
While it's an interesting account of Ona Judge, the author invested more energy ins condemnation of the Washington family than in covering Ona. He was condescending to her even at points. Not really worth the read.
February 28, 2020
Worth reading. It shows the problem of a free country with an enslaved population. Ona Judge was treated very well - beyond the usual treatment meted out to slaves - but she was bound to Mrs. Washington's family as a "dower slave". The Custis family owned her. Martha Washington could will her service to her grand-daughter Betsey. Betsey was "a train wreck", and Ona did not want to suffer live with a needy mistress. Besides she lived in Philadelphia, and by Pennsylvania law, she could be free if she lived more than six months in the state. Sneaky Washington would send his slaves to Mount Vernon, Virginia to get around that law. So Ona sneaked out of the Washington house herself, and got aboard a ship to Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Washington was furious. He ordered her to be trapped and sent back. He advertised for the capture of his runaway slave.
Washington was not a mean man to his slaves; but he was a stern master and in his mind, a slave was to be chastised for insubordination to her master. He just could not see that she had rights, especially a right to own herself.
This is an excellent example of the double-standard both Master and Slave lived under in the Land of Freedom. It is not judgemental. Both were victims of their time - but Ona was physically the one who paid.
Washington was not a mean man to his slaves; but he was a stern master and in his mind, a slave was to be chastised for insubordination to her master. He just could not see that she had rights, especially a right to own herself.
This is an excellent example of the double-standard both Master and Slave lived under in the Land of Freedom. It is not judgemental. Both were victims of their time - but Ona was physically the one who paid.
May 6, 2017
A great historical read.
May 31, 2017
Quick but enjoyable read.
Quick and enjoyable read. Definitely worth my time. Interesting side of President Washington and of that time period. History is always worth my time..
Quick and enjoyable read. Definitely worth my time. Interesting side of President Washington and of that time period. History is always worth my time..
August 5, 2017
Interesting Read
An interesting read that left me wanting to know more about the life of this woman. Overall, a good read.
An interesting read that left me wanting to know more about the life of this woman. Overall, a good read.
July 6, 2018
Very light, lacks much substance.
March 19, 2017
Interesting information but that is about all
The information in the book could've been interesting if the writing were a little better. In some places it felt like the author sat with a thesaurus in one hand while writing trying to find the longest word possible. Really the information could've been shared in about six pages
The information in the book could've been interesting if the writing were a little better. In some places it felt like the author sat with a thesaurus in one hand while writing trying to find the longest word possible. Really the information could've been shared in about six pages
February 24, 2017
Parts of "Runaway: How a Slave Defied America's First President" by Bill Donahue had its boring parts. Still, I will never forget Ona Judge, the runaway slave. And of course, I will always remember George Washington, our first president. The story describes his strengths and weaknesses along with the strengths of her character.
Ona Judge was a strong woman. When she finally experienced freedom, she chose it over living in slavery ever again. Although she was the close friend of Martha Washington, George Washington's wife, she still hungered for freedom. Friendship and nothing else comes close to the ability to come and go as you please, in other words, to make decisions for your life is kingpin.
Although President Washington was a strong man, he had a weakness in his character. This weakness haunted his mind. Causing him never to grasp fully the importance of freedom not for only himself but for others who did not look like him or own any similarities to him that he could see.
Perhaps, he felt that a type of kindness would keep these slaves loyal and desirous of remaining at Mount Vernon. Also, there was his inner feeling that slaves lacked any intellect. In Bill Donahue's non fiction story, he comes across not as a hardened, bitter man who could not change, but as a man who would rather conform to society's laws. After all, there had always been slaves, why change now?
It saddened me to read about his obsessive letters written in order to find Ona Judge and bring her back to the plantation. However, What matters is that Ona Judge gained her freedom and stayed free. It continues to bring pain thinking about presidents and statesmen of our country who owned people as property. There is the desire to glorify their position as leaders. Then, there is the confrontation with their inability to have complete compassion for a race different from themselves.
Ona Judge was a strong woman. When she finally experienced freedom, she chose it over living in slavery ever again. Although she was the close friend of Martha Washington, George Washington's wife, she still hungered for freedom. Friendship and nothing else comes close to the ability to come and go as you please, in other words, to make decisions for your life is kingpin.
Although President Washington was a strong man, he had a weakness in his character. This weakness haunted his mind. Causing him never to grasp fully the importance of freedom not for only himself but for others who did not look like him or own any similarities to him that he could see.
Perhaps, he felt that a type of kindness would keep these slaves loyal and desirous of remaining at Mount Vernon. Also, there was his inner feeling that slaves lacked any intellect. In Bill Donahue's non fiction story, he comes across not as a hardened, bitter man who could not change, but as a man who would rather conform to society's laws. After all, there had always been slaves, why change now?
It saddened me to read about his obsessive letters written in order to find Ona Judge and bring her back to the plantation. However, What matters is that Ona Judge gained her freedom and stayed free. It continues to bring pain thinking about presidents and statesmen of our country who owned people as property. There is the desire to glorify their position as leaders. Then, there is the confrontation with their inability to have complete compassion for a race different from themselves.
February 26, 2017
Runaway is a very short read but an important read that looks at the dark side of George Washington being a man of his times deeply tied of the slave trade and not the mythic figure near godliness he is made out to be in the classroom text books of our youth. Washington spoke against slavery and may have treated his salves in a paternal manor better than some other slave owners however he skirted the law to ensure he kept his slave rights and even though he did free his slaves upon his death he couldn't imagine his life without their labor and devotion while he lived. Ona Judge and Hercules are least two of the slaves owned by Washington that regardless to how well they may have been treated under Washington they succumbed to the drive for freedom and escaped from Washington.
March 3, 2017
Interesting
So he didn't chop down that tree. I'm shock. Interesting look at slavery. Ona as a slave had a good life with Washington but freedom although she was very poor was better
So he didn't chop down that tree. I'm shock. Interesting look at slavery. Ona as a slave had a good life with Washington but freedom although she was very poor was better
February 21, 2017
Too much speculation and inconsistency, and not enough facts about Ona Judge. The information is fascinating, though, about George Washington's attitudes towards slavery and the human beings he held in bondage. Raises a lot of questions.
September 1, 2016
While Washington was allegedly conflicted about owning slaves, his actions spoke otherwise. When his wife’s favorite slave Ona Judge escapes and claims her freedom, Washington is indignant about her ingratitude of the perks of being enslaved amid the glamour of presidential life and he persistently pursues what he views as his rightful property. When a family friend spots Judge in Portsmouth, NH, Washington plots to kidnap her in violation of his own 1793 Fugitive Slave Act. He wants his prize possession back but doesn’t want the bad publicity of claiming ownership over her in open court. When that plot fails, his nephew actually goes to her Portsmouth home and requests that she and her baby daughter return to enslavement in Washington’s home. She politely declines – and then smartly leaves town before he returns to violently stake Washington’s claim. Ona Judge was not the only one of Washington’s slaves to reject his ownership. Over 40 of Washington’s slaves escaped from bondage during his lifetime, including Hercules, his prize chef, proving how at odds our founding father was with the ideals of liberty and justice for all.
September 4, 2016
Interesting historical vignette.
Interesting to see this narrative regarding what it was like to be an enslaved person. This woman had concerned and attentive masters, unlike many others. Very few at the time however seemed to have much respect for black people slave or free. Awful but it did allow the black people to sometimes outshine their supposed superiors by taking advantage of being underestimated. I can see why On a preferred being poor but free over being even a well treated slave.
Interesting to see this narrative regarding what it was like to be an enslaved person. This woman had concerned and attentive masters, unlike many others. Very few at the time however seemed to have much respect for black people slave or free. Awful but it did allow the black people to sometimes outshine their supposed superiors by taking advantage of being underestimated. I can see why On a preferred being poor but free over being even a well treated slave.
October 15, 2016
Lovely historical footnote
I wish this was a longer work! This is the story of how one woman, Ona Judge, bravely and defiantly escaped slavery and became her own free self. She was the slave of Martha Washington, and their relationship is explored in this small Kindle Single as well.
The writing style is rather average, but if you love history, I highly recommend checking this out. I found it rather good and fascinating for such a brief work.
I wish this was a longer work! This is the story of how one woman, Ona Judge, bravely and defiantly escaped slavery and became her own free self. She was the slave of Martha Washington, and their relationship is explored in this small Kindle Single as well.
The writing style is rather average, but if you love history, I highly recommend checking this out. I found it rather good and fascinating for such a brief work.
September 10, 2016
A brave and fortunate woman.
Though her life with the Washington's, as a house servant, was easy duty for a female slave.........she was still a slave. Only complete freedom would satisfy her. In spite of being widowed and out living both of her children..... she died happy and peacefully.
Though her life with the Washington's, as a house servant, was easy duty for a female slave.........she was still a slave. Only complete freedom would satisfy her. In spite of being widowed and out living both of her children..... she died happy and peacefully.
December 5, 2016
Interesting
I only gave 4 stars as I was left with more questions than answers. Interesting as so little has been recorded about Washington and his treatment of his slaves. Interesting from the view of a young woman that had the determination and gumption to be free.
I only gave 4 stars as I was left with more questions than answers. Interesting as so little has been recorded about Washington and his treatment of his slaves. Interesting from the view of a young woman that had the determination and gumption to be free.
August 19, 2016
Wonderful
This woman is a hero. She had the need to be free and though she live d extravagantly, compared to other slaves, that need was her life
This woman is a hero. She had the need to be free and though she live d extravagantly, compared to other slaves, that need was her life
August 20, 2016
Good Short Read
I chose four stars because it seemed to be missing something. The story was pretty interesting but there just wasn't enough information for me.
I chose four stars because it seemed to be missing something. The story was pretty interesting but there just wasn't enough information for me.
October 23, 2016
Interesting bit of untold history
It was short and to the point, which helped me digest many historic terms, that was easily disguised in the story line.
It was short and to the point, which helped me digest many historic terms, that was easily disguised in the story line.
November 4, 2016
Quick read
Interesting read...would've liked more background with Una and her family.. Overall very satisfactory book ... Would recommend if you wanna knock out a quick story
Interesting read...would've liked more background with Una and her family.. Overall very satisfactory book ... Would recommend if you wanna knock out a quick story
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April 22, 2019Book
It's talks more about the Washington then Ona. Its alright not very good. Would not recommend to anyone. Wouldn't read
It's talks more about the Washington then Ona. Its alright not very good. Would not recommend to anyone. Wouldn't read
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews