Remember the admonition, "Eat your food while it's hot"? It wouldn't have worked in George Washington's day.
That was just one of the enlightenments brought out at the 2003 George Washington Symposium. It kicked off the month-long celebration of the first Commander-in-Chief's birthday.
As the latest offering of a five year series, this anniversary symposium focused on the years 1764 to 1776 in the life of Washington and Alexandria; the years just after the French and Indian War and prior to the American Revolution.
Held at the George Washington National Masonic Memorial in Alexandria, the program featured a series of presentations spotlighting various elements of that time. It also encompassed three vignettes performed by reenactors from the George Washington Symposium Players and a Punch and Judy puppet show by KayDee Puppets.
Two of the presentations dealt with the subjects of Washington's involvement with the practice of slavery and what the preparation, serving, and consumption of food at that time entailed. The first was delivered by A.T. Stephens in his "With This Letter Comes a Negro."
An independent consultant in museum practice and public history, Stephens is the former director of Alexandria's Black History Resource Center. Drawing heavily on Washington's diaries, Stephens explored the basic question, "What proof do we have Washington's conscience was disturbed by owning slaves?"
He noted, "For almost a century before Washington was born his ancestors kept slaves. Negroes were involved with Washington his entire life. He inherited his first slaves at age 11. His diaries abound with references to sick negroes and the need to care for them."
Stephens explained, "Slaveholders could rent or borrow slaves. That was why it was so necessary they be in good health." They could also be purchased from other estates. An entry in one diary dated June 11, 1766, stated, "Purchased Frank and James from Mr. Moore's estate." Frank, an adult, cost Washington 31 pounds while James, a boy, cost 55 pounds.
In another entry, July 1768, Washington notes, "Went to Alexandria and bought a brick layer." In a letter to Josiah Thompson, Washington stated, "With this letter I send you slave Tom." He requested that Thompson sell him for "food, drink, and other items." He also warned Thompson that Tom could be trouble and suggested he be kept "handcuffed until sold."
But, Stephens pointed out, Washington was also a caring and dutiful father to both his own stepchildren and the offspring of his slaves. He would not separate families and he provided well for the slaves, both those that worked in the house at Mount Vernon and on the land.
WASHINGTON WAS originally a renter at Mount Vernon. He did not acquire ownership until the death of his brother Lawrence and Martha's father. But he built it into a very profitable enterprise with a wide variety of income producing endeavors ranging from a fishery on the Potomac to the Grist Mill and distillery.
As widely known, at his death he freed his slaves. However, what is not widely known is that this only consisted of four individuals, according to Stephens. All the rest actually belonged to Martha and had to wait for her death before being freed, he revealed.
In explaining how all slaves, even children were expected to work, Stephens came down from the stage and performed a work song used by the children in their chores. As he went through the motions he sang, "Jump down, turn around, pick a bale of cotton. Jump down, turn around, pick a bale of hay."
Prior to Stephens, the audience was treated to an in-depth presentation by B.L.Trahos, a member of the Gunston Hall Docents Association for more than two decades and founder of its cooking program, on how foods of the time were prepared, presented and served in places such as the homes of James Mason and the Washingtons. She was accompanied by Susan Borchardt, deputy director, Collections and Education, Gunston Hall Plantation.
Entitled "Spicy Slice of Daily Life," Trahos and Borchardt not only explained the foods and drinks of that era but also detailed how they were presented in elaborate fashion with as many as 25 food selection on the table at one time. And, that was only for the first course.
"The entire table was laid out in perfect symmetry. A really fine table had dishes of the same color and texture. A proper dinner could require up to 100 plates," Borchardt explained.
"Diners were required to pass plates to the person nearest the food selection they desired. But, a plate could only be passed so far. If someone was seated too far from what they wanted they might never get a taste of it," she said.
"The table was reset after each course. Therefore, people rarely got a hot entre," Trahos exclaimed. "During the third course drinking was the main feature."
SHE NOTED THAT as time progressed many of the English dishes took on a distinct American orientation. Some of this was due to changing tastes and in other cases because certain things did not exist here that were of English origin.
As examples she cited cranberries and pecan pie. "Cranberries were substituted for gooseberries because there were no gooseberries here. And, pecan pie became an American favorite because we had pecans here," Trahos pointed out.
Another myth dispelled by Borchardt and Trahos was that there is no evidence that peanut soup, or peanuts for that matter, were ever a part of the colonial diet. Regardless of what is on the menu in Williamsburg. As Borchardt stated, "It appears peanuts did not gain prominence until the 1900's."
In the beverage category, she stated, "Americans liked coffee more than tea. The cider was made from apples and pears. And, after the revolution corn whiskey grew in popularity." Washington added his distillery to the Grist Mill at that time.
THROUGHOUT THE DAY the Washington Symposium Players presented vignettes portraying scenes set in the years 1765, 1770, and 1774. They covered citizen interaction in a local tavern, on the street, in a local merchant's shop, and in preparation for a ball. The common theme was the growing tension with Great Britain as the desire for independence grew in the colonies.
Other insights to those years were presented by Jim MacKay, director, The Lyceum, Alexandria's History Museum; Dr. Peter Henriques, Associate Professor of History, George Mason University; and Fred Sand, a collector of George Washington medals.
Jointly sponsored by the Alexandria George Washington Birthday Celebration Committee and Gadsby's Tavern Museum Society, the symposium was under the creative guidance and management of Hugh Barton and Joe Shumard, co chairs of the Celebration Committee, and Barbara Barton, a member of the GW Symposium Committee. It was the third in the series.
As Stephens stated in answer to a question posed by the audience, "Next year we'll have to see what happens in the next segment of Washington's life" and to, what some call his hometown, Alexandria.