WASHINGTON AT THE PLOW

It’s a delightfully instructive… Ragsdale’s reliable and thorough portrayal of Washington’s most famous farmer casts new light upon Washington’s question about slavery. He does more than just bring to life Washington’s farm world. Washington at the Plow reminds of the importance and the enlightened improvements agriculture made to America’s founding. It does so by revealing much to both early-American specialists as well as general readers. — Mark G. Spencer — Washington PostGeorge Washington, the first president of the United States and a general, is a well-known name. Ragsdale says that Washington was a farmer for most of his adult life. The implications of this agrarian background were profound. Washington’s understanding and appreciation of nation-building was closely linked to land cultivation. His efforts to modernize farming methods led him to reconsider and eventually reject slave labor. BloombergA groundbreaking work that complicates and deepens our understandings of George Washington. Ragsdale’s attention to farming, the subject Washington cared the most about, sheds new light on almost every aspect of his life. This includes the controversial issue of slavery. This book is more influential than any other I’ve read. Francois Furstenberg, author of In the Name of the Father, Washington’s Legacy, Slavery and the Making of a Nation. Washington played a cautious, sometimes contradictory, role in slavery. This timely book explains why he did this. It is a portrait of Washington that is deeply rooted in his time and the politics and culture of the era. — Nicolaus mills — Daily BeastA fascinating, richly informative portrait about George Washington that focuses on how ‘agricultural improvements and the work for nation building were firmly connected in [his] minds .’…Ragsdale’s lucid explanations and use of underexamined primary resources make this a must read for lovers of early American history. Publishers Weekly (starred reviews) Ragsdale portrays a rich white man living in a slave society, aspiring to become an educated farmer and an icon of the republican party. Washington at the Plow is meticulous, discerning and judicious. This fascinating study of Washington’s role as citizen farmer is written by Richard Brookhiser. Ragsdale provides a comprehensive guide to the Virginian’s adoption of British agricultural innovations and his efforts to increase the productivity of the Mount Vernon enslaved workers. This led to his eventual disillusionment with forced labour. Ragsdale sheds light on the Washington farms of African Americans and the decision by the former president to emancipate his slaves. Flora Fraser, author The Washingtons. A great book that is clearly written and well-argued. It is remarkable how wide-ranging it is. Ragsdale helps us see that agriculture can tell us so much about Washington’s thoughts and character, from the plans for the political economy in the new country to his views on slavery. Washington tried every trick he could to make slavery successful before finally deciding that the slave system was irreparable and must be abandoned. Ragsdale, who is better than anyone, explains Washington’s complex decision to release his slaves under his will. Richard L. Bushman is the author of The American Farmer: The Eighteenth Century.
This is a fresh and original view of George Washington, an innovative land manager who’s passion for agriculture would surprise you by leading him to reject slavery. George Washington worked more in agriculture than he did in war or politics. Washington dedicated himself for over 40 years to improving agriculture. He saw it as the way to make America the “respectability and importance” that the rest of the world deserves. Washington at the Plow portrays Washington as the “first farmer in America,” a pioneer of New Husbandry, an international movement that led to improvements in crop rotation. Washington, a tireless experimenter, gave up tobacco to switch to wheat production. This was a major step forward for the rest. Washington filled his library of agricultural treatises with the most recent information and developed land-management strategies that would help small farmers, improve agrarian society and ensure the country’s prosperity. Washington’s efforts to eradicate slavery were a major part of his pursuits. Washington saw slave field workers and artisans in agriculture development. He tried to adapt slave labor to different types of farming. Washington devised a unique and strict system for slave supervision to achieve this goal. Washington realized that forced labor was not able to achieve the productivity he wanted. Washington’s inability to reconcile the ideals of rural order and scientific farming with slavery based on race led him to reconsider his position.
The Virginia plantation’s traditional foundations. Bruce Ragsdale demonstrates that Washington’s ineffability of chattel slavery was as important as his moral disgust at the practice.