system
A chat on subreddit /r/NoStupidQuestions
human
Wait, so they werent directly owned by a person, they were owned by a legal entity?? What???
gpt
From Mt Vernon website: Neither George nor Martha Washington could free these dower slaves by law. Upon her death the slaves would revert to the Custis estate and be divided among her grandchildren. By 1799, 153 slaves at Mount Vernon were part of this dower property. Forty more slaves were rented from a neighbor, while another man, Peter Hardiman, was rented from the widow of Martha Washington's son. All these people would eventually return to their owners.