Conclusion and Further Research

Though many scholars have started to shift their focus from George Washington to the enslaved, indentured, and hired artisans of Mount Vernon, more research is needed. Many historians are focusing their research on the enslaved people and are attempting to piece together their social lives, but there is little work being done on the indentured and hired workers. There is a clear gap in the historiographical literature due to the focus on the enslaved versus the indentured and hired workers. I intend to continue my research on this topic and find more information about the economic and social lives of these groups of artisans. This research would benefit other historians who are interested in the economic and social lives of the enslaved, indentured, and hired workers at Mount Vernon or in the Chesapeake region. All three groups of artisans played a vital role in the function of the estate, from digging ditches, to helping the Washington family, without them George Washington would not have been as successful as he was. Knowing the economic and social lives of these groups of artisans and their influences allows for historians to understand plantation life between the elite and the artisans.