Conclusion

The question surrounding this research is: who had more? Did George Mason or George Washington hold more assets? This research exhibit examines their assets and how they spent their money. It focuses primarily on their uneven relationship, the ways they exhibited their wealth through their estates, and how their domestic lives affected their acquisition for land and their political careers. Mason and Washington's domestic lives were very different. Mason had many more children, thus more domestic responsibilities. In comparison, Washington did not have children of his own, but still acted as a father figure to Martha's children. In terms of domestic responsibilities, Washington had less and could focus more on his political career and as a father to the nation more than Mason could. This was an advantage Washington had over Mason. On the other hand, Mason had an advantage on his mission to acquire land because he was born into wealth. Mason had the means to acquire land for a larger amount of time than Washington. Washington did not fully have the means until he inherited Mount Vernon from his half-brother, Lawrence. When Washington married Martha, one of the richest women in Virginia at the time, his wealth grew significantly. It grew significantly when he became president. Mason could have been in Washington's position had he not had any other significant obligations than tending to his political career, like Washington. Lastly, these two founding fathers exhibited their wealth through their estates by employing trendy, British designs of the time. Rooms of high-status were often placed on the ground floor, where visitors could easily access them. These rooms were given the highest class designs so that the homeowners could flaunt their wealth to their visitors. Both Mount Vernon and Gunston Hall employed these designs. Because Mount Vernon held more designs and technologies that suggested his homes' heavy reliance on servants, his estate showed he possessed a larger amount of wealth than Mason. Overall, Washington held a far greater amount of wealth than Mason due to his political career and acquired lands. While Mason had the ambition to acquire lands, Washington genuinely wanted to take care of his country. Although Mason was essentially given a headstart since he was born into wealth, Washington ended up possessing far more wealth.