ABSTRACT

Narratives of America’s first president, George Washington, are influenced by the social climate in which they are created. Fatherless from the age of eleven, the nature of his widowed mother’s impact upon his character development is a topic of considerable interest in many of these stories: is Mary Washington’s parenting an example to emulate or was George successful despite her efforts? Portrayals of Mary shift over time in response to broader sociopolitical trends. By the turn of the twentieth century, critical appraisals of George Washington’s independent mother are common. Despite these negative treatments, the communities that surround Mary Washington’s historical homes memorialize her. One of these homes, George Washington’s boyhood home in Stafford County, Virginia, produced thousands of artifacts from his childhood years, adding new data about the nature of his upbringing and of his mother’s household management. Negative treatments of mother Washington remain popular since they support widespread gender stereotypes that claim women are inferior to men in rearing boys, in financial business ventures, or in successful property administration. This dissonance – between a thoughtful assessment of her life and popular criticisms of her abilities – inspires scrutiny and discourse at heritage sites where Mary Washington lived.