Slavery in the Shadow of Liberty at the President’s House Site
- Andrew Cross
- Jun 18
- 2 min read
Hypocrisy, Where Power Resided
Right on Market Street, just steps from Independence Hall, sits one of the most important yet often overlooked landmarks in American history: the President’s House Site. Before there was a White House in Washington, D.C., this was the executive mansion - home to Presidents George Washington and John Adams while Philadelphia served as the temporary capital of the United States from 1790 to 1800.
The house itself no longer stands, but in its place is a public exhibit that forces us to confront the contrast between the ideals of American liberty and the brutal realities of slavery.
The Rotating Door of Bondage That Kept Slavery In the Shadow of American History
Here’s the part that makes many who look back at history very uncomfortable...
During his time in Philadelphia, George Washington brought at least nine enslaved people from Mount Vernon to live and labor in this house.
Among them were Hercules, a skilled chef, and Oney Judge, Martha Washington’s personal servant. But, Pennsylvania had passed a Gradual Abolition Act in 1780, later amended in 1788, which stated that enslaved people would be eligible for freedom after six months’ continuous residence in the state.
Washington’s response?
He carefully rotated his enslaved workers out of Pennsylvania just before that six-month deadline, ensuring they never met the legal requirement for emancipation.
This maneuver was both calculated and, tragically, entirely legal at the time. It reflects the uncomfortable truth that even the founding father most associated with honor and national unity used the law to perpetuate bondage.
A Window Into Forgotten Lives
Today, the site features glass panels etched with the names and stories of those enslaved individuals. Their lives, once confined to the margins of our national narrative, are now brought to light - offering visitors a more honest and complete understanding of American history.
Saying that America has slavery in the shadow of its past may be a hard pill to swallow for some. However, we can't progress if we don't understand where we came from. It's impossible not to feel the tension when you visit the places these things happened (if you know the truth) like how liberty and slavery, principle and practice, once shared the same front porch.
This is one of the most emotional and revealing stops on our Philadelphia walking tour - because it reminds us that understanding the past means embracing its contradictions, not looking away from them.
