Ona Judge Outwits the Washingtons: An Enslaved Woman Fights for Freedom
By Gwendolyn Hooks, Illustrated by Simone Agoussoye
Soon after American colonists had won independence from Great Britain, Ona Judge was fighting for her own freedom from one of America’s most famous founding fathers, George Washington.
George and Martha Washington valued Ona as one of their most skilled and trustworthy slaves, but she would risk everything to achieve complete freedom. Born into slavery at Mount Vernon, Ona seized the opportunity to escape when she was brought to live in the President’s Mansion in Philadelphia. Ona fled to New Hampshire and started a new life. But the Washingtons wouldn’t give up easily. After her escape, Ona became the focus of a years-long manhunt, led by America’s first president.
Gwendolyn Hooks’ vivid and detailed prose captures the danger, uncertainty, and persistence Ona Judge experienced during and after her heroic escape. 9-12 years
Never Caught, The Story of Ona Judge:
George and Martha Washington’s Courageous Slave Who Dared to Run Away
By Erika Armstrong Dunbar, Illustrated by Kathleen Van Cleve
Born into a life of slavery, Ona Judge eventually grew up to be George and Martha Washington’s “favored” dower slave. When she was told that she was going to be given as a wedding gift to Martha Washington’s granddaughter, Ona made the bold and brave decision to flee to the north, where she would be a fugitive.
From her childhood, to her time with the Washingtons living in the slave quarters, to her escape to New Hampshire, Erica Armstrong Dunbar, along with Kathleen Van Cleve, share an intimate glimpse into the life of a little-known, but powerful figure in history, and her brave journey as she fled the most powerful couple in the country. 9-13 years
Runaway: The Daring Escape of Ona Judge
By Ray Anthony Shepard, Illustrated by Keith Mallett
Ona Judge was enslaved by George and Martha Washington. She served as Martha’s maid. Ona was widely known for her excellent skills as a seamstress, and was raised alongside Washington’s grandchildren. She was frequently mistaken for George Washington’s granddaughter. This poetic biography follows her childhood and adolescence until she decides to run away. With extensive backmatter, this poem may serve as a new introduction to American slavery and Ona Judge’s legacy. 3-6 years
The Escape of Oney Judge: Martha Washington’s Slave Finds Freedom
By Emily Arnold McCully
When General George Washington is elected the first President of the United States, his wife chooses young Oney Judge, a house slave who works as a seamstress at Mount Vernon, to travel with her to the nation’s capital in New York City as her personal maid. When the capital is moved to Philadelphia, the Washingtons and Oney move, too, and there Oney meets free blacks for the first time.
At first, Oney can’t imagine being free – she depends on the Washingtons for food, warmth, and clothing. But then Mrs. Washington tells Oney that after her death she will be sent to live with Mrs. Washington’s granddaughter. Oney is horrified because she knows it is likely that she will then be sold to a stranger – the worst fate she can imagine. Oney realizes she must run. One day she sees an opportunity and takes it, ending up in New Hampshire, where she lives the rest of her life, poor but free. 6-9 years
Taking Liberty: The Story of Oney Judge, George Washington’s Runaway Slave
By Ann Rinaldi
Oney Judge is a slave. But on the plantation of Mount Vernon, the beautiful home of George and Martha Washington, she is not called a slave. She is referred to as a servant, and a house servant at that—a position of influence and respect. When she rises to the position of personal servant to Martha Washington, her status among the household staff—black or white—is second to none. She is Lady Washington’s closest confidante and for all intents and purposes, a member of the family…or so she thinks.
Slowly, Oney’s perception of her life with the Washingtons begins to crack as she realizes the truth: No matter what it’s called, it’s still slavery and she’s still enslaved.
Oney must make a choice. Does she stay where she is, comfortable, with this family that has loved her and nourished her and owned her since the day she was born? Or does she take her liberty—her life—into her own hands, and like her father, become one of the Gone? 12 years+
Oney Judge: Escape From Slavery and the President’s House
By Duchess Harris and Lindsay Wyskowski
President George Washington and his wife enslaved more than 150 people in the mid-1700s. In 1796, one of their slaves escaped. Her name was Oney “Ona” Judge. Oney Judge: This biography explores her story and her legacy. Aligned to Common Core Standards and correlated to state standards. Core Library is an imprint of Abdo Publishing, a division of ABDO. 8-11 years
Answering the Cry for Freedom:
Stories of African Americans and the American Revolution
By Gretchen Woelfle, Illustrated by R. Gregory Christie
Even as American Patriots fought for independence from British rule during the Revolutionary War, oppressive conditions remained in place for the thousands of enslaved and free African Americans living in this country. But African Americans took up their own fight for freedom by joining the British and American armies; preaching, speaking out, and writing about the evils of slavery; and establishing settlements in Nova Scotia and Africa.
The thirteen stories featured in this collection spotlight charismatic individuals who answered the cry for freedom, focusing on the choices they made and how they changed America both then and now. These individuals include: Boston King, Agrippa Hull, James Armistead Lafayette, Phillis Wheatley, Elizabeth “Mumbet” Freeman, Prince Hall, Mary Perth, Ona Judge, Sally Hemings, Paul Cuffe, John Kizell, Richard Allen, and Jarena Lee. Includes individual bibliographies and timelines, author note, and source notes. 9-12 years
The book descriptions used are primarily from the publishers.
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