me" (Fitzpatrick v.27, p.345). Add this to the fact that Washington refused a salary as General of the army, and it quickly becomes evident that the Washington estate was not in very good financial shape. As much as Washington may have wanted to, if he would have given his slaves their freedom, it would have proved financially disastrous. Without this needed labor force, it is quite possible that Washington may have never gotten out of debt. He refused all attempts by Congress to give him a yearly allowance (Freeman v.6, p.6). He had spent eight years volunteering his time and energy to the Continental Army, it was unlikely that he would suddenly accept payment from his country. He was proud to have served his country while collecting no salary, to do so now would be an attack on his pride. The fact that Washington was in dire financial straits can be easily seen in many of his letters. In a letter to the Earl of Tankerville, on January 20, 1784, Washington writes, "An almost entire suspension of every thing which related to my own Estate, for near nine years, has accumulated in abundance of work for me (Fitzpatrick v.27, p.309). On July 8, 1784, he writes to John Mercer, "I do assure you Sir, that I am distressed for want of money..." (Fitzpatrick v.27, p.436). A year and a half later, Washington is still struggling for money, writing on December 20, 1785 to Mercer, "...[I]t cannot be more disagreeable to you to hear, than it is to me to repeat that my wants are pressing, some debts which I am really ashamed to owe, are unpaid..." (Fitzpatrick v.28, p.363). Lund Washington, the man who was in charge of the estate during Washington’s absence, had not been paid since April, 1778. It wasn’t until 1794 that Lund had been fully paid and the account closed (Freeman v.6, p.7). In his Last Will and Testament, Washington finally freed his slaves, upon the death of Martha. In his Will, Washington writes, "Upon the decease [of] my wif...
