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The Family Life of George Washington
By Charles Moore
(Houghton Mifflin Company, 1926)
Pages 148 ff.
"At six months of age, my father became the Child of
Mount Vernon, the idol of his grandmother and and object on
which was lavished the caresses and attention of the many
distinguished guests who thronged that hospitable mansion. His
beautiful sister Nelly often observed: 'Grandmamma always
spoiled Washington.' He was the pride of her heart; while the
public duties of the Veteran prevented the exercise of his
influence in forming the character of the boy, too softly
nurtured under his roof, and gifted with talents which, under
sterner discipline, might have made him more available for his
own and his country's good."
So wrote Mrs. Robert E. Lee of her father, George Washington
Parke Custis [1781-1857], of Arlington, in 1859, two years after
his death. Here is, indeed, a case in which the sins of
the children are visited on the parents--and quite unjustly. If
Mr. Custis did not in his own person realize the fond wishes of
his progenitors and his descendants, at least he rendered two
services which will cause his name to shine in the history of
his country. His recollection of Washington, in the form of
newspaper articles, written as the spirit moved him during a
period of thirty years, give to posterity the most authentic,
consistent, and intimate account of the personal, family life of
Washington . . .
Therefore we may overlook the disappointment and chagrin of
his relatives that as boy and man unconquerable indolence
prevented G.W.P. Custis [1781-1857] from realizing the
great expectations centered in him . . . .
In Nov, 1796, Pres Washington wrote from Philadelphia to
young Custis, then a student at Princeton College, enclosing a
ten-dollar bill 'to purchase a gown, etc., if proper. At the
time Washington was sixty-four years old and Custis was fifteen.
. . .
Washington had no children of his own to inherit his peculiar
abilities and traits of character, but he strove to impress on
his wife's children and grandchildren those ideas and ideals
which the experience of an arduous life had instilled in him. In
these endeavours he had to content with the erratic Parke and
Custis blood . . . .
This letter gave Washington great satisfaction, but his
complacency was rudely shattered a month later by a note from
President Smith the contents of which may be inferred by the
reply thereto:
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Your favor of the 18th instant . . .
filled my mind (as you naturally supposed it would) with
extreme disquietude. From his (Custis's) infancy I have
discovered an almost unconquerable disposition to
indolence in everything that did not tend to his
amusements; and have exhorted him in the most tender and
parental manner often, to devote his time to more useful
pursuits. His pride has been stimulated and his family
expectations and wishes have been urged as inducements
thereto. In short, I could say nothing more to him now
by way of admonition, encouragement or advice that has
not been repeated over and over again.
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Custis did not return to Princeton. In March Dr. Stuart (his
mother's husband) took him to Annapolis and entered him at Saint
John's College.
In commending Custis to President McDowell,
indolence of mind was Washington's charge against the boy,
adding, "I know of no vice to which this inertness can be
attributed. From drinking and gaming he is perfectly free, and
if he has a propensity to any other impropriety it is hidden
from me. He is generous and regardful of truth." Washington
was correct as well as sincere. As Custis was at sixteen, so he
remained to the end of his days. . . .
Five weeks having elapsed without a letter
from Annapolis, the family heard disquieting rumors in
Alexandria that Custis was "devoting much time and paying
much attention to a certain young lady." Washington's
admonition was: "Recollect the saying of the wise man,
'There is a time for all things,' and sure I am this is not a
time for a boy of your age to enter into engagements which
might end in sorrow and repentance." . . .
Custis did not return to Annapolis in the
September of 17898. he was ready to go because the family wished
it; but his reluctance was so great that Washington knew the
uselessness of a further stay there. In his hopelessness the
perplexed "father of his country" sends to Dr. Stuart
this confession of futility in his dealings with his foster son:
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What is best to be done with him I
know not. My opinion has always been, that the
university of Mass. would have been the most eligible
seminary to have sent him to; first, because it is on a
larger scale than any other; and, secondly, because I
believe that the habits of the youth there, whether from
the discipline of the school, or the greater attention
of the people generally to morals, and a more regular
course of life, are less prone to dissipation and excess
than they are at the colleges south of it. . . . |
What schools could not do for young Custis,
Washington hoped the camp accomplish . . . Washington selected
Alexander Hamilton and Charles Cotesworth Pinckney as
major-generals, and the latter took upon his staff young Custis,
who had already been commissioned a cornet of horse.
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Sister Citizen: Shame, Stereotypes, and Black Women in
America
By Melissa V.
Harris-Perry
According to the
author, this society has historically exerted
considerable pressure on black females to fit into one
of a handful of stereotypes, primarily, the Mammy, the
Matriarch or the Jezebel. The selfless
Mammy’s behavior is marked by a slavish devotion to
white folks’ domestic concerns, often at the expense of
those of her own family’s needs. By contrast, the
relatively-hedonistic Jezebel is a sexually-insatiable
temptress. And the Matriarch is generally thought of as
an emasculating figure who denigrates black men, ala the
characters Sapphire and Aunt Esther on the television
shows Amos and Andy and Sanford and Son, respectively.
Professor Perry
points out how the propagation of these harmful myths
have served the mainstream culture well. For instance,
the Mammy suggests that it is almost second nature for
black females to feel a maternal instinct towards
Caucasian babies.
As for the source
of the Jezebel, black women had no control over their
own bodies during slavery given that they were being
auctioned off and bred to maximize profits. Nonetheless,
it was in the interest of plantation owners to propagate
the lie that sisters were sluts inclined to mate
indiscriminately.
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Sex at the Margins
Migration, Labour Markets and the Rescue Industry
By Laura María Agustín
This book explodes several myths: that selling sex is completely different from any other kind of work, that migrants who sell sex are passive victims and that the multitude of people out to save them are without self-interest. Laura Agustín makes a passionate case against these stereotypes, arguing that the label 'trafficked' does not accurately describe migrants' lives and that the 'rescue industry' serves to disempower them. Based on extensive research amongst both migrants who sell sex and social helpers, Sex at the Margins provides a radically different analysis. Frequently, says Agustin, migrants make rational choices to travel and work in the sex industry, and although they are treated like a marginalised group they form part of the dynamic global economy. Both powerful and controversial, this book is essential reading for all those who want to understand the increasingly important relationship between sex markets, migration and the desire for social justice. "Sex at the Margins rips apart distinctions between migrants, service work and sexual labour and reveals the utter complexity of the contemporary sex industry. This book is set to be a trailblazer in the study of sexuality."—Lisa Adkins, University of London |
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The White Masters of the
World
From
The World and Africa, 1965
By W. E. B. Du Bois
W. E. B. Du Bois’
Arraignment and Indictment of White Civilization
(Fletcher)
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Ancient African Nations
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If you like this page consider making a donation
* * * * *
Negro Digest /
Black World
Browse all issues
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Enjoy!
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The Death of Emmett Till by Bob Dylan
/
The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll
/
Only a Pawn in Their Game
Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson Thanks America for
Slavery /
George Jackson /
Hurricane Carter
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The Journal of Negro History issues at Project Gutenberg
The
Haitian Declaration of Independence 1804
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January 1, 1804 -- The Founding of
Haiti
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posted 29 June 2008
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