ernon to live. That they did for some time until The Constitutional Convention called upon George, but this time they were calling on him to become the first President of the United States. George and Martha moved to New York with their grandchildren and Martha was once again overwhelmed, this time by formal dinners, parties, and receptions. Martha disliked the public life and it was very hard for her to realize that she could please everyone. She was extremely unhappy with the public life. She was convinced that she was older and wanted to enjoy her time at home with her husband and not be bothered with politics and the rest of the country. They soon moved to Philadelphia, which Martha enjoyed a bit more because of friends that had lived there that she could attend parties and other things with, but still she was not happy with the public life. On March 4, 1797 George Washington gave his farewell speech and they returned home. On George’s sixtieth birthday they celebrated with a wedding, his granddaughter Nelly was married to Lawrence Lewis and they lived at Mount Vernon until the death of Martha. One day George returned from his rounds around the plantation with a severe cold and never recovered. He died on December 14, 1799, and Martha was never the same again. Her spirits were lifted slightly with the birth of Nelly’s first child, Fances Parke Lewis, but she was never in her complete spirits again. Upon George’s death his will set half of the slaves free and the other half of the slaves were too be free when Martha was dead. After a few years the slaves began to become aware of the promised freedom and Martha feared for her life. She became very paranoid and just about locked herself in her room. After George’s death she moved into a little room with a sloped roof directly above Nelly’s. She soon made a will and prepared for her death, but not before she managed to burn all but two of George’s let...
