Text 4In 1784, five years before he became president of the United States, George Washingt

Text4

In1784,fiveyearsbeforehebecamepresidentoftheUnitedStates,GeorgeWashington,52,wasnearlytoothless.Sohehiredadentisttotr ansplantnineteethintohisjaw–havingextr actedthemfromthemouthsofhisslaves.

That’safardifferentimagefromthecherry-tr ee-choppingGeorgemostpeoplerememberfromtheirhistorybooks.Butr ecently,manyhistorianshavebeguntofocusontherolesslaveryplayedinthelivesofthefoundinggeneration.TheyhavebeenspurredinpartbyDNAevidencemadeavailablein1998,whichalmostcertainlyprovedThomasJeffersonhadfatheredatleastonechildwithhisslaveSallyHemings.Andonlyoverthepast30yearshavescholarsexaminedhistoryfromthebottomup.Worksofseveralhistoriansrevealthemoralcompromisesmadebythenation’searlyleadersandthefragilenatureofthecountr y’sinfancy.Moresignificantly,theyarguethatmanyoftheFoundingFathersknewslaverywaswrong–andyetmostd idlittletofightit.

Morethananything,thehistorianssay,thefounderswerehamperedbythecultureoftheirtime.WhileWashingtonandJeffersonprivatelyexpresseddistasteforslavery,theyalsounderstoodthatitwaspartofthepoliticalandeconomicbedrockofthecountr ytheyhelpedtocreate.

Foronething,theSouthcouldnotaffordtopartwithitsslaves.Owningslaveswas“likehavingalargebankaccount,”saysWiencek,authorofAnImperfectGod:GeorgeWashington,HisSlaves,andtheCreationofAmerica.ThesouthernstateswouldnothavesignedtheConstitutionwithoutprotectionsforthe“peculiarinstitution,”includingaclausethatcountedaslaveasthreefifthsofamanforpurposesofcongressionalrepresentation.

Andthestatesmen’spoliticallivesdependedonslavery.Thethree-fifthsformulahandedJeffersonhisnarrowvictoryinthepresidentialelectionof1800byinflatingthevotesofthesouthernstatesintheElectoralCollege.onceinoffice,JeffersonextendedslaverywiththeLouisianaPurchasein1803;thenewlandwascarvedinto13states,includingthreeslavestates.

Still,JeffersonfreedHemings’schildren–thoughnotHemingsherselforhisapproximately150otherslaves.Washington,whohadbeguntobelievethatallmenwerecreatedequalafterobservingthebraveryoftheblacksoldiersduringtheRevolutionaryWar,overcamethestr ongoppositionofhisrelativestogranthisslavestheirfreedominhiswill.onlyadecadeearlier,suchanactwouldhaverequiredlegislativeapprovalinVirginia.

36.GeorgeWashington’sdentalsurgeryismentionedto

[A]showtheprimitivemedicalpracticeinthepast.

[B]demonstr atethecrueltyofslaveryinhisdays.

[C]str esstheroleofslavesintheU.S.history.

[D]revealsomeunknownaspectofhislife.